A giant iceberg 5,000 square kilometers in size could break away from Antarctica. Scientists report that it will be the largest block of ice that broke away from the mainland on record.
This mass of ice, which is twice the size of Moscow, is included in the glacier called "Larsen S". Previously, this glacier consisted of three parts, the total area of which was approximately equal to the island of Jamaica. According to many scientists, the cause of the destruction of the Larsen A and Larsen B glaciers was global warming.
A complete breakaway of Larsen S could take place in the next few months. It will become the largest iceberg in history, but scientists are confident that its immersion under water should not affect the level of the World Ocean.
According to experts, Antarctica loses about 160 billion tons of ice per year - this leads to an increase in the water level in the World Ocean by 0.43 millimeters. Some experts believe that similar masses of ice will never appear in the place of disappeared glaciers. Other scientists adhere to the opposite version, but with the amendment that it will take more than one hundred years for new glaciers to form.
Today, Antarctic ice reserves are estimated at more than 26 million cubic kilometers. If they melt, the sea level on Earth will rise by 58 meters.
Dotsenko Alexander