World’s Biggest Iceberg From Antarctica Is on the Move — and It’s Not Good News for Australians
Icebergs may look like frozen wonders, but their huge size and sudden movements can sometimes make them extremely dangerous. When massive chunks of icebergs break and drift apart, they can damage the ecosystems and might harm humans and wildlife. Recently, scientists have warned that the world’s largest iceberg, A23a, could cause some serious trouble. The huge iceberg, the size of Rhode Island, has been drifting for quite some time now, raising fears for both humans and wildlife. With the changes in Antarctica, due to the iceberg movement and melting sea ice, Australia will be facing the most devastating consequences.
As reported by the BBC, Ecologist Mark Belchier spoke about the huge piece of moving ice and said, "If it breaks up, the resulting icebergs are likely to present a hazard to vessels as they move in the local currents and could restrict vessels' access to local fishing grounds." The drifting ice could also make life harder for fishermen in the area. A study published by Nature, titled Emerging Evidence of Abrupt Changes in the Antarctic Environment, highlights new findings about climate change in Antarctica. This research was carried out by experts from the University of New South Wales and the Australian National University.
One of the lead authors of the study, Dr Nerilie Abram, warns that it is very important to be ready for the widespread impact of global warming. She said, "As sea ice is lost from the ocean surface, it is also changing the amount of solar heat being retained in the climate system. That is expected to worsen warming in the Antarctic region." She added, "Other changes to the continent could soon become unstoppable, including the loss of Antarctic ice shelves and vulnerable parts of the Antarctic ice sheet that they hold behind them."
It has also been reported that if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melts, its 750,000 cubic miles of ice could flood the nearby coastal cities. This can push oceans more than five meters higher. The co-author of the study, Professor Matthew England, highlighted the consequences that Australia might have to face. He said, "These include rising sea levels that will impact our coastal communities, a warmer and deoxygenated Southern Ocean that's less able to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – leading to more intense warming in Australia and beyond – and increased regional warming from Antarctic Sea ice loss."
Meanwhile, saving Antarctica can begin only with tackling the root cause—reducing greenhouse gas emissions by shifting to clean energy, reducing fossil fuel use, and protecting forests. At the same time, stronger government agreements and conservation efforts can help protect fragile ecosystems. As reported by Ladbible, Dr. Abram said, "Governments, businesses and communities will need to factor in these abrupt Antarctic changes that are being observed now into future planning for climate change impacts, including in Australia."
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