21 May A-76: World’s largest iceberg breaks off of Antarctica
(GS PAPER-3, ENVIRONMENT
SOURCE- THE HINDU)
Context:
Recently An Iceberg calved off from the continent of Antarctica. This iceberg is now the largest iceberg in the world. It has been named as A-76.
About the Iceberg
The IceBerg is 170 kilometres long and 25 kilometres wide. The iceberg is spotted by a European Space Agency satellite called Copernicus Sentinel. It is a two-satellite constellation that orbits the earth’s poles.The IceBerg is now floating on the Weddell Sea. Weddell Sea is a large bay in the Western Antarctic.
Impact of the iceberg on sea level
Every time an iceberg calves out from Antarctica, it adds up to the rising sea levels. However, in this case, the ice shelf from which this berg carved out was already floating on water.The Ice Shelf from which A-76 calved out is called Ronne Ice Shelf
– Khyati Khare
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