We went to the biggest iceberg in the world on RRS Sir David Attenborough | British Antarctic Survey

[@alterfalter9400]

I think Antarctica is one of the most fascinating regions in the world. The last undeveloped continent, the last blank spot on the map that belongs to no one. (Apart from the territorial claims of some countries) I would love to travel there myself, but unfortunately Antarctica tours are almost unaffordable. Respect for all the men and women who research and do their jobs down there under difficult conditions. Greetings from Germany.

[@Genesis-007]

Tow it back and anchor it with cables

[@grindupBaker]

Yep that would be a super impressive feat of Tugboat Annie and make the RV Boaty McBoatFace famous for sure. 1,440 billion (billion with a "B") tonnes of load to pull, same as a tug boat towing 20 million (million with an "M") Yamato WWII battleships on 20 million towing ropes. Now that's some pull !!!

[@SD-jd6ix]

How many square meters is this iceberg what can we compare it with size of Tasmania? Or the size of???

[@Khancure]

A23a wants democracy

[@grindupBaker]

Based on the fracture of the Larsen C ice shelf first being noticed in November 2010, its extent and width at that time and its rate of growth the few years following, I suggest the possibility that the fracture of the Larsen C ice shelf might well have been caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami 26 December 2004 following sea bed earthquake. "The tsunami also reached Antarctica, where tidal gauges at Japan's Showa Base recorded oscillations of up to a metre with disturbances lasting a couple of days". ------------------------------ I see "the sea floor is estimated to have risen by several metres, displacing an estimated 30 of water". If I take the tsunami as radiating in a circle then the radius is 13,000 km at Larsen C ice shelf distance so the quantity of tsunami water per metre of impacted face is 30,000,000,000 / (26,000,000 * pi) = 367 m**3 (this assumes negligible settling of the water during travel). For 1 metre of SLR extending to 367m from the ice shelf face I compute 367 * 42,000 * 10,000 = 154,000,000,000 newton-metres of torque per metre of fracture run at the fracture point using a 42km width. If I assume 350m thick then the tensile pull at the bottom of the fracture from 1m SLR lifting at 42 km from the pivot point = 440,000,000 newtons per metre of fracture run. The tensile pull over 350m thick from 1m SLR lifting over 42 km = 1,260,000 newtons per metre of ice depth per metre of fracture run (i.e. per square metre) average throughout ice depth. However, (595-435)/595=27% so the lowest 50m of the ice shelf face is subjected to 27% of the torque force, so tensile pull over the lowest 50m of the ice shelf face = 2,380,000 newtons per metre of ice depth per metre of fracture run (i.e. per square metre). The tensile strength of ice varies from 0.7-3.1 MPa so the fracturing force exerted on the ice shelf at the fracture location from 1 metre of SLR would be anywhere between 0.8x and 3.4x that required to fracture it (if ice were infinitely brittle) so it is definitely of the order of magnitude to be very possible based on the 367 m**3 simultaneously per metre of impacted face. ------------------------------ Of course, ice has some ductility & malleability (not perfectly brittle) and tides there are of order 1m to 1.7m, same as that tsunami or somewhat higher, so the ice shelf could not survive tides if it was perfectly brittle. Davis tide table indicates typically 14 hours for the tide to rise 1m to 1.7m but likely the far more rapid impact force of a tsunami SLR (over a few minutes I assume) would not give the ice shelf sufficient time to respond elastically throughout its length and it fractured along its weakest line on the lower face due to the torque exerted. This would open a fracture 7 mm wide at 42 km back from the face if the ice did not yield anywhere except at the fracture so, for example, if the ice bent 90% of the required amount to relieve stress throughout its length then it would open a fracture 0.7 mm wide. This would need structural analysis to figure it out properly. ------------------------------ The line from the centre of the tsunami origin to the centre of the Larsen C ice shelf is at an angle close to perpendicular at Larsen C so SLR would have been applied across a large width of the face simultaneously. The only significant contraindication is that it appears that a straight line across the ocean from the centre of the tsunami origin to the centre of the Larsen C ice shelf might be interrupted by the western edge of Queen Maude Land, in which case there would be no direct wave front across all of the centre of the Larsen C ice shelf but only the portion of the original wave that spreads southwards. Update: Looks like a southern diversion of only 20 degrees of arc from Queen Maude Land coast, so not much, and that diversion looks to make the arriving ripple even more perpendicular at Larsen C. ------------------------------ Extrapolating back in time from the fracture distance increase between 2010-11 and 2015-10 indicates a fracture date of 2002-05 which is 2.5 years before the tsunami so it doesn't support the December 2004 date strongly but given the uncertainty in that method it doesn't rule it out (perhaps there was some initial length of fracture before it started increasing).

[@seanmcmichael2551]

Has Boaty McBoatface been used yet ? I'm interested if the underside of the glacier still has signs of the terrain from pre-calving. Is Boaty capable of such a reccy ?

[@BritishAntarcticSurvey]

Great question - Boaty is very popular and busy! It's definitely capable of such a reccy, but we're not doing it here. However we are increasingly using AUVs to go under ice shelves while they are still attached to the land and sea ice to understand more about the melt patterns and ocean conditions, and therefore more about the impact of ocean warming.

[@milkbone28681]

Is that the big iceberg that broke free ?

[@sne.haephyr]

Yes

[@BritishAntarcticSurvey]

Yep, it's A23a. It actually broke off the Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986, but until recently was grounded in the shallower Weddell Sea area.

[@cupritchanel5139]

Perubahan iklim terimakasih telah berbagi vidionya kak

[@AlexA-ld9ik]

This is too bad and too bad for the planet. With such an approach to saving the climate, it will be even worse, unfortunately (((

[@SP6QKX]

[@SergioLuizCardosodeSouzaJunior]

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[@SergioLuizCardosodeSouzaJunior]

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[@Solutions_transport]

Que amadorismo...o único aciberg solto que vimos na imagem foi do tamanho de um golfinho... Kkkkk

[@SergioLuizCardosodeSouzaJunior]

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[@1Juan519]

Matthew 24:7 For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. 24:14 And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

[@SergioLuizCardosodeSouzaJunior]

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