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NASA spotted a huge new Antarctic iceberg while on a mission to study sea ice and moving glaciers.
It was the first time ever to see the huge expanse of ice that, according to the agency, had separated from the Pine Island Glacier at the end of October and had been observed for the first time by satellite.
The US National Ice Center estimates that the iceberg, called B-46, measures 66 square miles (87 square miles), about three times the size of Manhattan.
However, satellite images have revealed that since its first observation, the mass has already begun to break down into smaller pieces.
The discovery of the iceberg comes shortly after NASA published images of two distinct "tabular icebergs", one with completely rectangular shapes and smooth edges.
Ice trays regularly "calve" icebergs, but scientists are monitoring this activity closely to determine if the frequency of such events is changing.
As part of NASA's IceBridge Operation, a fleet of research aircraft is flying over the polar regions to measure the impact of climate on the ice.
The new iceberg was spotted by the crew aboard one of the planes.
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A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the pack ice near McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Kira Morris
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In the middle of a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft is looking for a dry place to shelter. Bangladesh is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to sea level rise, which is expected to leave tens of millions homeless by 2050.
Rashid Probal
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Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave located inside the Svinafellsjökull Glacier in Iceland, whose number has rapidly increased. Since 2000, the size of Icelandic glaciers has been reduced by 12%.
Tom Schifanella
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The floods destroyed eight bridges and destroyed crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad Valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have retreated, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating floods when shores break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while causing drought in others.
Hira Ali
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The smoke – filled with the carbon that causes climate change – drifts in a field in Colombia.
Sandra Rondon
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A river once flowed along the dry land depression of this part of Bangladesh, but it disappeared with rising temperatures.
Abrar Hossain
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Pakistan's Sindh province has had a sad mix of two consequences of climate change.
"Because of climate change, we have either floods or not enough water to irrigate our crops and feed our animals," says the photographer. "The picture clearly shows that extreme dryness creates large cracks in the clay. The crops are very difficult to grow. "
Rizwan Dharejo
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A shepherd moves his flock while he looks for a green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, in northern India.
The region was severely affected by heat waves and drought, which worried the local population about future projected increases in temperature.
Riddhima Singh Bhati
9/10
A factory in China is enveloped by atmospheric pollution. The World Health Organization has warned that such pollution, largely derived from fossil fuels at the root of climate change, would constitute a "public health emergency".
Leung Ka Wa
10/10
Water levels in reservoirs, such as the Gers, France, have been dangerously low in drought-affected areas of the world, forcing authorities to impose water restrictions.
Mahtuf Ikhsan
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A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the pack ice near McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Kira Morris
2/10
In the middle of a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft is looking for a dry place to shelter. Bangladesh is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to sea level rise, which is expected to leave tens of millions homeless by 2050.
Rashid Probal
3/10
Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave located inside the Svinafellsjökull Glacier in Iceland, whose number has rapidly increased. Since 2000, the size of Icelandic glaciers has been reduced by 12%.
Tom Schifanella
4/10
The floods destroyed eight bridges and destroyed crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad Valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have retreated, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating floods when shores break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while causing drought in others.
Hira Ali
5/10
The smoke – filled with the carbon that causes climate change – drifts in a field in Colombia.
Sandra Rondon
6/10
A river once flowed along the dry land depression of this part of Bangladesh, but it disappeared with rising temperatures.
Abrar Hossain
7/10
Pakistan's Sindh province has had a sad mix of two consequences of climate change.
"Because of climate change, we have either floods or not enough water to irrigate our crops and feed our animals," says the photographer. "The picture clearly shows that extreme dryness creates large cracks in the clay. The crops are very difficult to grow. "
Rizwan Dharejo
8/10
A shepherd moves his flock while he looks for a green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, in northern India.
The region was severely affected by heat waves and drought, which worried the local population about future projected increases in temperature.
Riddhima Singh Bhati
9/10
A factory in China is enveloped by atmospheric pollution. The World Health Organization has warned that such pollution, largely derived from fossil fuels at the root of climate change, would constitute a "public health emergency".
Leung Ka Wa
10/10
Water levels in reservoirs, such as the Gers, France, have been dangerously low in drought-affected areas of the world, forcing authorities to impose water restrictions.
Mahtuf Ikhsan
According to NASA news, the Pine Island Glacier now appears to be calving with increased regularity. The icebergs broke in 2013, 2015, 2017 and now this year, while before, such major events only occurred every six years or so.
The region's dynamics have major ramifications for the rest of the world, as nearby Pine Island and Thwaites Glacier contribute 1 mm per decade to rising sea levels.
British Antarctic Survey research has concluded that the thinning of Pine Island Glacier has probably "reached a point of no return".
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