Originally published on November 14, 2013
UK researchers have discovered a vast iceberg in Antarctica that could break off and enter international shipping lanes. According to the BBC, a crack was found in the Pine Island Glacier in July. An enormous iceberg has begun to break away from the glacier just in the last few days. The latest images show one or two kilometers of clear water can now be seen between it and the glacier.
The iceberg was tracked going through the Drake Passage. Researchers warned that if the iceberg stays on the current trajectory, it will enter busy international shipping lanes.
Researchers from the University of Sheffield and the University of Southampton have received an emergency grant of £50,000 ($79,595) for a six-month project to track and predict the movement of the iceberg through the Southern Ocean. The researchers will use data from satellites, including the German TerraSAR-X.