An iceberg the size of New York City broke off an Antarctic ice shelf on Friday, about 10 years after scientists began tracing the cracks in the ice.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) released a statement on Friday describing the rupture of the 490-square-mile iceberg from the Brunt Ice Shelf, a location not far from a UK research post.
“Our teams at BAS have been preparing for years for an iceberg to emerge from Brunt Ice Shelf,” said Dame Jane Francis, director of the British Antarctic Survey.
Researchers knew that if another crack appeared in the ice in November, the iceberg would break off quickly and it got bigger every day.
The 12-person team left BAS’s Halley Research Station earlier this month before winter hit. The team has not stayed at the station since 2017 in case the iceberg broke off, as an emergency evacuation would be difficult due to Antarctica’s lack of daylight in winter.
The research station has been safe from break-off since it was moved inland in 2016.
“Our job now is to keep a close eye on the situation and assess the potential impact of the current calving on the remaining ice shelf,” said Simon Garrod, BAS’s operations director. “We are constantly reviewing our contingency plans to ensure the safety of our workforce, protect our research station, and maintain the delivery of the science we undertake at Halley.”
The announcement also made it clear that this event was not the result of climate change.
“Ice change at Halley is a natural process and there is no link to calving on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, and no evidence that climate change has played a significant role,” the announcement said.