An iceberg twice as big as New York is about to separate from Antarctica

Two cracks converge on the Brunt ice floe on the northern coast of Antarctica, a fact that could create an iceberg with a total surface area greater than 1,000 kilometers, twice the size of New York City as a whole, warned NASA.

The space agency said in a statement that the ice block would be detached by a crack appeared in October 2016 and that it had not stopped being longer and deeper during last three years, at a rate of more than 4 km per year. .

Although scientists they did not specify when the detachment will take place, alerted that this break could affect the rest of the continental shelf and, therefore, to all the scientific infrastructure there. Experts worry about the effects of climate change.

During the announcement, NASA compared a photo of this area, taken from the Landsat satellite, dated January 1986 with another January 23, 2019 where you can see an extended crack that runs through the west is all the part that will come off.

When this crack meets another crossing the cap from south to north, the territory will be converted into a huge iceberg whose direction is unpredictable, as well as the effect it will have on the rest of the surface of this Antarctic zone.

The second gap already existed and has remained stable for 35 years, said NASA, but its growth accelerated sharply. Although the iceberg that will be born seems gigantic, in reality, this is not for Antarctic standards, said NASA, although she claimed that "it will always be important".

"This is perhaps the largest broken iceberg on the Brunt ice floe since observations began in 1915.", they added from the space agency on their website.

"Scientists are currently investigating whether the loss would cause new changes in the surface and could even become unstable or break."they added.

Growing fissures that fracture the surface of Antarctica have raised concerns about the effects of climate change and safety for scientists working on the platform, especially industry researchers. Halley Station British Antarctic Survey.

This base, which is one of the main bases of investigation of the Earth, Atmosphere and Space sciences, generally operates all year round, but has been closed twice in recent years due to changes unpredictable Antarctic ice.