NASA has recently released a photo of the largest iceberg that started its journey in 2000. It seems that the largest iceberg, called B-15 that separated from Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf eighteen years ago is close to ending his voyage.
The size of B-15 was almost the size of Connecticut (160 nautical miles long and 20 nautical miles wide). But along its journey, it got broken into small pieces that melted away. Now, there are four huge pieces. One of the is almost dying off, according to evidence from the National Ice Center.
Approaching Its End
The part of the iceberg that is now getting near its end is called B-15Z. NASA, astronauts aboard the International Space Station, snapped a photo of it on May 22, showing that its size is now ten nautical miles long and five nautical miles wide.
The agency believes that, even though the size makes this iceberg “trackable,” it will soon disintegrate into small pieces and melt. The photo already shows fissures at the center, and around the ages, pieces of the iceberg are falling off.
The currents took B-15Z for a trip, and by 22 May it was close to South Georgia Islands. NASA explained that “icebergs that make it this far have been known to rapidly melt and end their life cycles here.”
Kelly Brunt is a NASA glaciologist, and knows that B-15Z is close to its end:
“They tend to pond with water, which then works its way through the iceberg like a set of knives.”
What NASA didn’t mention is if climate change has something to do with the rapid melting of the iceberg. However, a couple of months ago, a study showed that the ice sheet in Antarctica is melting five times faster than it was previously expected, due to the warm ocean water that melts the ice under the seabed.
Doris’s passion for writing started to take shape in college where she was editor-in-chief of the college newspaper. Even though she ended up working in IT for more than 7 years, she’s now back to what he always enjoyed doing. With a true passion for technology, Doris mostly covers tech-related topics.