An iceberg the size of New York City came off an ice shelf in Antarctica on Friday, about 10 years after scientists started tracking the cracks in the ice.
The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) released a statement on Friday describing the rupture of the 490 square mile iceberg from the Brunt ice shelf, a site not far from a British research outpost.
“Our BAS teams have been prepared for the birth of an iceberg on the Brunt ice shelf for years,” said Dame Jane Francis, director of the British Antarctic Survey.
The researchers knew that the iceberg would break as soon as a new crack in the ice emerged in November and increased in size each day.
The 12-person team left BAS’s Halley Research Station earlier this month, before the start of winter. The team has not stayed at the station during the winter since 2017, in case the iceberg breaks because an emergency evacuation would be difficult due to the lack of daylight in Antarctica during the winter.
The research station was protected from disruption as it was moved inland in 2016.
“Our job now is to keep an eye on the situation and assess any potential impact of the current birth on the remaining ice shelf,” said Simon Garrod, BAS’s Director of Operations. “We continually review our contingency plans to ensure the safety of our staff, protect our research station and maintain the delivery of the science we carry out at Halley.”
The announcement also made it clear that this event was not the result of climate change.
“The change in ice at Halley is a natural process and there is no connection to the birth events seen on the Larsen C ice shelf, and no evidence that climate change has played a significant role,” said the announcement.