Question: Recently World’s largest iceberg breaks off of Antarctica. What is the name of that is given to this iceberg?
a) A-76
b) A-23A
b) A-68a
d) None of the above
Ans: a
Context
- Recently a huge iceberg, the world’s largest, has broken off from an ice shelf in Antarctica and is floating through the Weddell Sea.
Facts
- This iceberg has been names as A-76.
- The iceberg is around 170 kilometers long and 25 kilometers wide, with an area of 4,320 square kilometers.
- It was spotted by European Space Agency satellite Copernicus Sentinel.
- The iceberg was originally spotted by the British Antarctic Survey and confirmed using images from the Copernicus satellite.
- It has now taken the place as the world’s largest from the A-23A iceberg – approximately 3,880 sq km in size – which is also in the Weddell Sea.
- Haydrofracturing is considered as the cause of this and some other breakways.
- Hydrofracturing occurs when water –which is heavier than ice – pours through cracks in the surface of ice shelves caused by surface warming, violently forcing the fractures to zip open, causing an iceberg to break off.
- Ice calving and regrowth in Antarctica occur naturally , however due to global warming water is becoming warming and thus speeding up this process.
By kameshwar shukla