satellite images show that the world's once largest iceberg, A68, has decomposed and melted and now no longer exists. The
A68 iceberg has been drifting at sea since it broke away from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica in July 2017. Its largest area was nearly 6,000 square kilometers. According to British media reports on the 18th, satellite images show that the once largest iceberg has broken into several small pieces. Because the area of each piece is too small, the US National Ice Center has given up tracking.
The U.S. National Ice Center has long tracked icebergs that are too large and may threaten shipping. Icebergs that "make the cut" on the center's tracking list are at least 18.5 kilometers long in their major axis or have a minimum area of 68.5 square kilometers. None of the broken pieces of
A68 met this standard. The latest measurement results on the 16th showed that the largest fragment of A68, A68a, was roughly 5.6 kilometers long and 3.7 kilometers wide. The sighting of the
A68 iceberg has attracted widespread attention on social media. After breaking away from the ice shelf, it barely moved for a year, and then drifted northward in the South Atlantic, once approaching South Georgia Island . Many large icebergs ran aground near this island and eventually melted. A68 escaped this fate, but was broken into smaller and smaller pieces by waves, warm water and higher temperatures.
Researchers believe that it is very difficult for the A68 iceberg to exist for such a long time. Because the thickness and length ratio of this iceberg is like the thickness and length ratio of five sheets of A4 paper stacked together, it is difficult for it to withstand the impact of waves for a long time without breaking.
Source: People’s Daily
