A Giant Shortest And Softest Of Ice Kisses Iceberg, A74, Kisses The Seashore From Antarctica.
Key Sentence:
- It was the shortest and softest of ice kisses.
- A giant iceberg, nearly the size of Greater London, was captured by satellite this week and wedged off the coast of Antarctica.
The unit known as the A74 made only the weakest contact. If it were more brutal, it would likely topple an iceberg of this size. British scientists are observing the ice relationship with great interest because one of its bases is nearby. The Halley Research Station is currently in chaos as there is uncertainty about how all of the region's ice may hold up shortly.
"We have been monitoring this situation very nearly for the last six months as the A74 is flying in the same area," said Dr. Olli Marsh of the British Antarctic Service. "But then there was a powerful easterly wind, and it seemed to cause a rapid movement of the A74 that made it scrape the edge of the west wall," he told BBC News.
Brunt is what is called an ice shelf. It is an amalgam made from glacial ice that is drained from land and swims out to sea.
It's still stuck to the back of the ice trolley - but only halfway through. A vast gap called Abyss 1 had opened up at the western end of the shelf in recent years. An area of about 1700 km² will be opened soon. Many think that the big push from the passing A74 iceberg could be the event that made it all possible. But that didn't happen, preferentially at least it hasn't happened yet.
The BAS has GPS sensors in the permafrost and on the A74. These tools are reported to Cambridge Research Headquarters hourly and daily. Your data capture all sudden movements in the ice. And while the contact resulted in very little rotation at Brunt that week, it certainly wasn't enough to break the last 2km of ice in Abyss 1 that held the western shelf in place.
"So there seems to be swelling, and it seems that it has a slight effect on Western Brunt, but not enough to cause calves," said Dr. Swamp. It would be helpful for BAS if Brunt could go on strike anytime soon.
The station is just less than 12 miles from Chasm 1, and scientists don't believe it will be disrupted by giving birth to a large child, but they need to be safe before continuing year-round operations.
Halley is currently closed every winter as a precaution. In a worst-case scenario, it would be challenging and risky to attempt an evacuation during the year when the weather can be harmful, and there are 24 hours of darkness.