On February 26th, the ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites witnessed an iceberg larger than the city of New York Break off of Antarctica. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), The iceberg, informally dubbed A-74, measured about 1270 km^2, and broke off from the northern section of Antarctica’s Brunt Ice Shelf. This iceberg was the largest iceberg to break off the Brunt Ice Shelf to date.

These Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites have been closely monitoring large cracks that have been forming in the Brunt Ice Shelf since 2019. When one crack extended towards another further north, they formed a cut across the A-74 ice shelf. This prompted the ESA to closely monitor the section. On the early morning of February 26th, the satellites captured footage of the newer crack widening rapidly and eventually breaking off the Brunt Ice Shelf.

Mark Drinkwater, a researcher with the ESA, explained in an ESA press release: “Although the calving of the new berg was expected and forecasted some weeks ago, watching such remote events unfold is still captivating. Over the following weeks and months, the iceberg could be entrained in the swift south-westerly flowing coastal current, run aground or cause further damage by bumping into the southern Brunt Ice Shelf. So we will be carefully monitoring the situation using data provided by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission.”

Although the iceberg could still pose a threat to the surrounding ice shelf, it will not pose a threat to the nearby Halley VI Research Station, which was relocated in 2017 after the ice sheet was deemed unsafe.

Icebergs break off of Antarctica all the time, but climate change could accelerate the disintegration of the Antarctic ice sheets. According to WRI.org, “Higher temperatures are resulting in ice loss” and iceberg “calving events are becoming increasingly frequent.”

What happens in Antarctica will also have major effects on the rest of the Earth. As the ice in Antarctica melts, freshwater from the melted ice will flow into the seawater. The mixing of seawater and freshwater will decrease the salinity of oceans. Although freshwater already enters the oceans through rivers, freshwater from icebergs decreases the salinity of oceans at a much more rapid pace and in locations where ecosystems are not used to this change. As ocean salinity decreases, ocean ecosystems will be harmed and businesses that rely on them will diminish as well. According to WRI.org, rising seas will flood communities, alter ocean circulation patterns that will change entire ecosystems, and potentially cause more frequent extreme weather events.