A New York City-sized iceberg broke off an ice shelf in Antarctica on Friday, about ten years after scientists began detecting the cracks in the ice.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) released a statement on Friday describing the 490-square-kilometer iceberg break from the Brunt Ice Shelf, a place not far from a British research post.
“Our teams at BAS have been preparing for years for calving an iceberg from Brunt Ice Shelf,” said Dame Jane Francis, director of the British Antarctic Survey.
Researchers knew that the iceberg would soon break down as a new crack in the ice appeared in November and grew larger every day.
The team of twelve people left the Halley research station of BAS earlier this month before winter begins. The team has not stayed at the station since the winter of 2017 in case the iceberg would break down because an emergency evacuation would be difficult due to the lack of daylight in Antarctica during the winter.
The research station has been safe from demolition since it was moved inland in 2016.
“Our job now is to keep a close eye on the situation and assess the possible impact of the current calving on the remaining ice shelf,” said Simon Garrod, director of operations at BAS. “We are constantly reviewing our emergency plans to ensure the safety of our staff, protect our research station and maintain the delivery of the science we undertake in Halley.”
The announcement also made it clear that this event was not the result of climate change.
“Change in the ice at Halley is a natural process and there is no connection to the calving events seen on Larsen C Ice Shelf, and no evidence that climate change played an important role,” the announcement reads.