An iceberg the size of Luxembourg split off from Antarctica and could disrupt global ocean patterns and weather systems for decades, according to scientists cited in The Times of London on Saturday.
The 985-square mile block of ice was knocked off the Mertz Glacier Tongue, a spit of floating ice protruding from eastern Antarctica, on Feb. 12 or 13.
It was dislodged by an older iceberg, known as B9B, which broke off in 1987.
Although the impact was not expected to be felt for decades, the iceberg could block the production of cold, salty water, known as “bottom water,” which could lead eventually to cooler winters in the North Atlantic.
It could also have a negative impact on some of Antarctica’s wildlife, including a large colony of emperor penguins based nearby. A reduction in open water could mean they must travel farther afield to find food.
“The ice tongue was almost broken already. It was hanging like a loose tooth,” said Benoit Legresy, of the Laboratory for Geophysics and Oceanographic Space Research in Toulouse, France.
His team, in collaboration with Australian scientists, began monitoring the Mertz Glacier via satellite images and on the ground a decade ago.
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