Massive Antarctic iceberg the size of Delaware is now adrift at sea

TomoNews US 2017-09-19

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ANTARCTICA — A massive iceberg around the size of Delaware has broken off from Antarctica and is now floating out to sea.

Recent satellite photos show the A68 iceberg appearing to move away from the Larsen C ice shelf, the Independent reported.

The iceberg is over 2200 sq miles, weighs approximately a trillion tons and has a volume twice that of Lake Erie, according to Scientific American.

Professor Stef Lhermitte, of Delft University in the Netherlands posted the images on Twitter with a caption, "After some initial back-and-forth movement, Larsen C's iceberg A68 seems on drift now."

Experts now believe the iceberg will float northeast and slowly make its way out into the open seas of the Southern Ocean, Business Insider reported.

Scientists are concerned that A68 could break up into smaller pieces and then drift into shipping lanes. Pieces too small to track by satellite could pose major risks to passing ships.

Some researchers have said the calving of the iceberg was a normal event, not caused by global warming, according to the Independent.

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