One of the biggest icebergs on record has broken off Antarctica, raising fears that sea levels may rise.
Scientists at the university of Swansea and the British Antarctic Survey say the iceberg broke away from the Larsen C Ice Shelf earlier this week. The iceberg is roughly the size of the Indonesian island of Bali. It covers 5,800 square kilometers and weighs more than a trillion tons.
Scientists say in the short term, it is unlikely that there will be much impact on sea levels. However, there is a risk that more glaciers will be flowing into the sea, eventually leading to rising ocean levels.
(Adrian Luckman / Professor, Swansea University)
"There isn't really going to be any immediate effect. There's going to be no immediate sea level rise from this, or anything like that. It'll be taking years until we really know whether the ice shelf will react to this large calving event."
Luckman adds a more significant indication of global warming is the fact that Antarctica is losing mass at an alarming rate.
◆iceberg 氷山
◆Antarctica 南極
◆glacier 氷河
◆calve （氷山などが）分離する
◆indication 兆候、きざし
◆at an alarming rate 驚くべき速さで
