An iceberg, larger than Lake Erie has split from Antarctica. This is the third largest iceberg, since records have been taken. To be classified as an iceberg, the height of the ice must be greater than 16 feet above sea level and the thickness must be 98-164 feet and the ice must cover an area of at least 5,382 square feet. An iceberg is ice that broke off from glaciers or shelf ice and is floating in open water. Icebergs can last from 6 to 50 years depending on circumstances and location.
So is global warming to blame for this iceberg? In a National Geographic article, “Scientists who assess the planet’s health see indisputable evidence that Earth has been getting warmer, in some cases rapidly. Most believe that human activity, in particular the burning of fossil fuels and the resulting buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, have influenced this warming trend. In the past decade scientists have documented record-high average annual surface temperatures and have been observing other signs of change all over the planet: in the distribution of ice, and in the salinity, levels, and temperatures of the oceans.”
A USA Today article in December 2016 discussed what would happen if this particular iceberg broke off. Interesting is the short amount of time it actually did take to break off. Take a look at the article.