Iceberg the Size of Luxembourg Could Threaten Marine Life

Monday, March 01, 2010
Mertz Glacier Tongue (photo: Barbara Wienecke, ACE CRC)

Described as a once in a half century event by scientists, an enormous iceberg smashed into a peninsula of ice in Antarctica, causing the protruding ice shelf to break off and become an iceberg the size of Luxembourg. The now free-floating iceberg, measuring 50 miles long and 25 miles wide, is now teaming with the first iceberg to “fence” in ocean water in the region which could alter circulation patterns and affect the food chain for marine life. Scientists say emperor penguins and seals travel to the area to feed, but might have to swim further to find food if the icebergs reduce the local supply of fish.

 
“We have got two massive icebergs that—end to end—create a fence of about 180km,” Dr. Neal Young of the Australia-based Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre (ACE CRC) told the BBC News. “So the area’s geography has changed from a situation where we effectively had a box in which two sides were open ocean. Now we have a fence across one side of the box.”
 
There is no indication that the problem was caused by climate change.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
 

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