Isle of Wight-size iceberg breaks from Antarctica
BAS was alerted to the breakaway thanks to two GPS instruments that had been planted on the anticipated berg.
“They’re single frequency GPSs, so they’re not particularly accurate, but they tell you when something major happens, and we saw movement of a few hundred metres within an hour, which is a good indication the berg had broken free of the ice shelf,” said glaciologist Dr Oliver Marsh.
Satellite imagery confirms the GPS data. The berg is surrounded by seawater on all sides.
The loss of so much ice from the Brunt structure these past three years has triggered a rapid acceleration in the shelf’s seaward movement.
Historically, it has flowed forward at a rate of 400-800m (1,300-2,600ft) per year. It is now moving at about 1,300m (4,300ft) a year.
