ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Mertz Ice Shelf Breaks up in Antartica Forming new Iceberg

Updated on April 11, 2013

If you ever want to see massive icebergs, go to Antartica just off the south Pole.

Satellite imagery has been used to monitor climate change with the belief that the polar ice caps are melting.

A huge iceberg has broken off the Mertz Glacier in Antartica and is drifting loose in the Southern Ocean. The Mertz Glacier protrudes more than 100 miles into the sea and this part is known as the 'tongue'.

Another iceberg, known to scientists as B-9B, struck the tongue earlier this month, around February 13, 2010, according to satellite imagery.

The B-9B, which is 97km by 35km (58miles by 24 miles), is the remainder of one of the biggest icebergs recorded, the B9, that formed (calved) in 1987 from the Ross Ice shelf, then difted westwards for 5 years until it stopped at the Ninnis Bank, about 100 kms east of the Mertz Glacier, where it remained for 18 years until it started moving again late last year.

‘The calving itself is not linked to climate change but it is related to the natural processes occurring on the ice sheet,’ Reuters reported Rob Massom, a scientist at the Australian Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre in Hobart, Tasmania as saying.

The new iceberg is reported to measure 50 miles by 25 miles, making it roughly the same size as Luxembourg, or Tenerife.

It reportedly contains enoughwater to supply the entire population of the world for a year.

Both icebergs are drifting close together approximately 100 miles north of Antartica.

iceberg B9B and the Mertz Glacier
iceberg B9B and the Mertz Glacier

There is a worry that this new calfing could affect global ocean circulation patterns, as previously the tongue of the Mertz Glacier was where icy water entered the deep waters of the oceans, and now that area has been blocked by the new icebergs.

Antartica is much more influential in global weather patterns than the Arctic.

Watch the video below which explains much better than I could the possible effect on global weather patterns.

It was only in December of last year that fear were expressed over the giant B-17B iceberg which looked as if it was collision course for Australia.

It was reckoned that should this iceberg hit land, it would strike with the force of a 3 - 4 earthquake.

Latest reports have said that this iceberg is now much smaller as it has calved several other icebergs, each several kilometres in size, and is melting slowly.

Watch this short video clip for the beautiful scenery in Antartica

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)