An iceberg the size of New York City broke off an ice shelf in Antarctica on Friday, about ten years after scientists began tracking ice cracks.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) released a statement Friday describing the breaking of the 490-square-kilometer iceberg on Brunt’s ice shelf, a location not far from a British search site.
“Our BAS teams have been prepared for the birth of a Brunt Ice Shelf iceberg for years,” said Dame Jane Francis, director of the British Antarctic Survey.
Researchers knew the iceberg would soon break when a new ice crack emerged in November and increased in size each day.
The 12-person team left BAS ’Halley research station earlier this month before the winter hit. The team has not stayed at the station during the winter since 2017 in case the iceberg broke because it would be difficult to evacuate due to the lack of daylight in Antarctica during the winter.
The research station has been protected from breakage since it was moved inland in 2016.
“Our job now is to closely monitor the situation and assess any potential impact of the current part on the remaining ice shelf,” said Simon Garrod, BAS Director of Operations. “We are continually reviewing our contingency plans to ensure the safety of our staff, protect our research station and maintain the delivery of the science we perform at Halley.”
The announcement also made it clear that this event was not the result of climate change.
“Ice change in Halley is a natural process and there is no connection to the partying events that were seen on the Larsen C ice shelf, and there is no evidence that climate change has played a major role.” , said the announcement.