After drifting for 18 years, the largest iceberg ever to break away from Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf is about to disappear forever. Iceberg B-15 was the world’s largest recorded iceberg measuring around 295 kms long and 37 kms wide, with a surface area of 11,000 sq.kms. Over the years, B-15 gradually splintered into smaller pieces, most of which have already melted. The iceberg has travelled more than 10,000 kms from the ice shelf and is dangerously close to the equator. Satellite images from the International Space Station (ISS) confirm that the remains of the iceberg are on a crash course with warm tropical waters. The iceberg’s remaining chunk, B-15Z, now has a big fracture down the middle with smaller pieces shattering away from the sides.
The stately raft of ice has gradually splintered into many smaller pieces, most of which have already melted. Today, only four chunks remain with a large enough surface area to be trackable by the National Ice Center (20 square nautical miles is the minimum).
The chunk observed from the ISS last month (its name is B-15Z) still has a surface area of about 50 square nautical miles, but it is likely nearing the end of its journey as it floats ever closer to the equator. According to NASA, icebergs have been known to rapidly melt once they drift into this region. A large fracture is already visible at B-15Z’s center, and smaller pieces are crumbling away from its edges.
Credit : Live Science
Picture Credit : Google
