The largest iceberg was born in Antarctica this summer

A giant ice shelf broke off in the Antarctic this summer.

It’s one third the size of Slovenia, weighs more than 20 million Titanics and contains as much water as 40,000 Lake Bohinjs.

The iceberg was floating in the water before it split from Larsen C. The sea level will not rise, even though the ice will melt.

How can you imagine this more easily? Let’s look at an ice cube melting in a glass of water. When it stops melting, the water level in the glass does not change.

Scientists disagree as to why the iceberg has broken off. Some think this is a natural phenomenon, and we did not cause it. Others are convinced that the shelf broke off due to the warming of the atmosphere.

This gigantic ice berg is now floating in the Southern Ocean. Scientists predict that it will break into smaller parts in a few years and then scatter.

But at the same time, they are concerned that more glaciers will now flow into the sea from this part of Antarctica.

Glaciers are like huge rivers full of ice, which slowly slide along due to their own weight. What prevents them from falling more quickly are the ice shelves that are around them.

If a part of the glacier from the land falls into the water, the sea level rises. There is so much ice in the Antarctic that the sea level would rise 60 meters all over the world if all of it landed in the sea.

Points to consider

1. Do you know any glaciers in Slovenia?
2. Do you know what happened to glacier Triglav?
3. Do you know why even a large iceberg can float in the sea?

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English translation courtesy of JL Flanner, Total Slovenia News, an English language website with news from and about Slovenia.