Iceberg that broke off from Antarctica released 152bn tonnes of water in 3 months: Study

A gargantuan iceberg known as A68A has released 152 billion tonnes of fresh water into the ocean in just three months, says new research conducted by experts from the University of Leeds. The experts revealed that the giant ice slab broke off from the Larsen-C Ice Shelf in Antarctica in July 2017 and has rapidly melted over three months in 2020 and 2021. Surprisingly, the amount of water discharged from the iceberg in the said time is enough to fill 61 million Olympic-sized swimming pools, according to the study. 

The iceberg has lost over 500 feet of ice 

The researchers, who were scanning the satellite images, noted that the iceberg had 770 feet of original thickness when it first drifted off from its source. As of now, it has 219 feet of ice left as it was once melting at the rate of 22 feet each month at its peak. The iceberg's area and thickness change were being tracked by the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling (CPOM) and British Antarctic Survey (BAS) based on the satellite data. Daily Mail reported study author of the research paper and a BAS member as saying-

Frequent measurements allowed us to follow every move and break-up of the berg as it moved slowly northwards through iceberg alley and into the Scotia Sea where it then gained speed and approached the island of South Georgia very closely.

Earlier, the experts were worried about the iceberg's base being stuck at the seabed, an event that could have been disruptive for marine life. However, they found that the base had reduced to 462 feet in a 492 feet deep seabed by the time the iceberg reached South Georgia in the Atlantic ocean. It was also noted that the melting of A68A also releases a massive amount of nutrients in foreign water which could influence the region and biological production around it. Lead author of the study Anne Braakmann- Folgmann said as per Daily Mail-

This is a huge amount of melt water, and the next thing we want to learn is whether it had a positive or negative impact on the ecosystem around South Georgia.

Image: NASA Worldview Snapshots