An iceberg the size of New York City erupted on Friday from an Antarctic ice shelf, about 10 years after scientists began tracking ice cracks.
Study of British Antarctica (BAS) freed a statement on Friday describing the breaking of the 490-square-meter iceberg at the Brunt ice shelf, a location not far from a British research outpost.
“Our BAS teams have been preparing for the birth of an iceberg on the Brunt ice shelf for years,” said Dame Jane Francis, director of the British Antarctic Survey.
The researchers knew that the iceberg would soon break with the appearance of a new ice crack in November and that it would grow every day.
The 12-person team left BAS’s Halley research station earlier this month before the winter hit. The team has not been at the station over the winter of 2017, if the iceberg had broken, as an emergency escape would have been difficult due to the lack of daylight in Antarctica during the winter.
The research station was kept from breaking because it was moved inside in 2016.
“Our task now is to closely monitor the situation and assess any potential impact of the current calving on the remaining ice shelf,” said Simon Garrod, director of operations at BAS. “We are continually reviewing our contingency plans to ensure the safety of our staff, to protect our research station and to maintain the science supply we undertake at Halley.”
The announcement also said the event was not the result of climate change.
“Changing the ice at Halley is a natural process and has nothing to do with the calving events seen on the Larsen C ice shelf and there is no evidence that climate change has played a significant role,” the announcement said.