The currently largest ice floe in the world

jorgebgt -

( DEC 6 2023; https://www.cnbc.com/ )


The currently largest ice floe in the world



Souce


That little white square, more or less that little white square, is a huge iceberg that has been stranded for 40 years. It is currently the largest iceberg in the world and is now loose and is known as A23a.


It broke off from the Filchner–Ronnee Ice Shelf in West Antarctica in 1986, but quickly ran aground, stuck until now, because it managed to break free.


This iceberg has about 4000 square km to give you an idea, the island of Mallorca is smaller, it has 3640 square km and now this enormous iceberg is heading north towards the South Atlantic.


The images have been published by the European space agency and have been taken thanks to the Copernicus satellite copernicus sentinel 1.


DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Thousands of miles from the U.N.’s climate summit in the Middle East, the world’s largest iceberg is on the move for the first time in more than 35 years.


Scientists believe the juggernaut’s breakaway from Antarctica was a natural occurrence, but say it provides a stark reminder of the potentially disastrous implications as global sea levels rise.


The iceberg, known as A23a, is estimated to cover an expanse of almost 4,000 square kilometers (1,500 square miles), making it roughly three times the size of New York City.

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