Giant iceberg, 5,000 square kilometers, set to calve from Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica

[rangerrebew]

Giant iceberg, 5,000 square kilometers, set to calve from Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Date:
    January 6, 2017
Source:
    British Antarctic Survey
Summary:
    A huge iceberg looks set to break away from the Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. Satellite observations from December 2016 show a growing crack in the ice shelf which suggests that an iceberg with an area of up to 5,000 square kilometers is likely to calve soon.
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FULL STORY
The crack through Larsen C ice shelf is visible as a dark line from bottom right to top left of this satellite image. Image captured on 26 October 2016.
Credit: Image courtesy of British Antarctic Survey

A huge iceberg, roughly the size of the county of Norfolk in the United Kingdom or the state of Delaware in the United States, looks set to break away from the Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula. Larsen C is more than twice the size of Wales. Satellite observations from December 2016 show a growing crack in the ice shelf which suggests that an iceberg with an area of up to 5,000 square kilometers is likely to calve soon.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170106131954.htm

[rangerrebew]

Even though caving of ice shelves has been occurring in nature forever, I'm going to go out on a limb and say people like St. Algore will say this is due to global warming.

[truth_seeker]

5,000 sq. kilometers of area  equals approximately 71 kilometers by 71 kilometers.

That is 43 miles, by 43 miles.

Ooga booga. The ice is merely moving to a different location, on planet earth where matter is not lost or destroyed.

Let us hope it doesn't interfere with shipping lanes, or otherwise risk harm to HUMANS.

[Fishrrman]

Get a lot of rope, a thousand tugboats, and tow it to California!   ;)

[truth_seeker]

Get a lot of rope, a thousand tugboats, and tow it to California!   ;)

A few decades ago, plans were being made to tow ice bergs to Saudi Arabia.

Instead they implemented desalinization. Probably used technology from Israel.

[rangerrebew]

Let us hope it doesn't interfere with shipping lanes, or otherwise risk harm to HUMANS.

I've never heard of bergs like that creating a problem in shipping lanes.  They would have to be Titanic to create a problem.

[thackney]

A few decades ago, plans were being made to tow ice bergs to Saudi Arabia.

Instead they implemented desalinization. Probably used technology from Israel.

If you have ever tasted melted ice bergs or glacier ice, you would rather drink desalinated sea water.

(When snow accumulates and is crushed down into a glacier, all the dust, dirt, bird poop, etc that accumulates with the snow is trapped in the same ice.)

I've had melted glacier ice.  The mineral content is sooooo high, your mouth will pucker up making difficult to even swallow the resulting water.  You won't try a second taste.  It was done on every trip of the 26 Glacier Cruise that departs from Whittier.  https://www.phillipscruises.com/cruises/26-glacier-cruise.php

That and the likely cost of trying to move ice bergs to Saudi Arabia.

[dfwgator]

[thackney]

For a feel for the frequency of how often these large icebergs make a story:

https://www.google.com/search?q=largest+larsen+iceberg&biw=1280&bih=615&source=lnt&tbs=cdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1%2F1%2F2000%2Ccd_max%3A1%2F1%2F2016&tbm=nws

[truth_seeker]

If you have ever tasted melted ice bergs or glacier ice, you would rather drink desalinated sea water.

(When snow accumulates and is crushed down into a glacier, all the dust, dirt, bird poop, etc that accumulates with the snow is trapped in the same ice.)

I've had melted glacier ice.  The mineral content is sooooo high, your mouth will pucker up making difficult to even swallow the resulting water.  You won't try a second taste.  It was done on every trip of the 26 Glacier Cruise that departs from Whittier.  https://www.phillipscruises.com/cruises/26-glacier-cruise.php

That and the likely cost of trying to move ice bergs to Saudi Arabia.

The current storms are replenishing California's water storage reservoirs, but a desalinization plant have been completed in Carlsbad. (Process from Israel)

It is described thusly "the nation’s largest, most technologically advanced and energy-efficient seawater desalination plant."

A nearly identical plant is going through lengthy approvals for Huntington Beach.

Possibly desal water can be made very tasty. Make mine lime or lemon, with carbonation.