A-76: The World's Largest Iceberg Just Formed in Antarctica

The British Antarctic Survey recently discovered a piece of ice that sheared off Antarctica’s border and has been denominated the largest floating iceberg in the world. It is currently drifting in the Weddell Sea and is four times the size of New York City.

The iceberg, named A-76 by scientists, was verified through images by the US National Ice Center with the help of two satellites designated Copernicus Sentinel-1. It is said to measure approximately 175 kilometres (106 miles) long by 25 kilometres (15 miles) wide and its surface area is 4320 square kilometres (1668 square miles). With these measurements, A-76 has exceeded the iceberg called A-23A which is 3380 square kilometres (2100 square miles) and is also in the Weddell Sea.

A-76 separated from the Ronne ice shelf, one of the world’s greatest floating sheets of ice. The Antarctica peninsula has several ice shelves that, in the past few years, have experienced a fast rupture that scientists believe may be because of climate change.

A-76 Compared to the Spanish island of Majorca

Bibliography

Reuters (2021, May 20) World’s largest iceberg, nearly four times size of New York City, forms in Antarctica. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/20/worlds-largest-iceberg-nearly-four-times-size-of-new-york-forms-in-antarctica