23 votes

This iceberg was once the biggest in the world. Now it has just weeks left.

6 comments

  1. [4]
    lackofaname
    (edited )
    Link
    This is a cool article about iceberg tracking and the life of the largest iceberg ever tracked, as it has migrated from Antarctica northward through warmer waters during the southern summer. ......

    This is a cool article about iceberg tracking and the life of the largest iceberg ever tracked, as it has migrated from Antarctica northward through warmer waters during the southern summer.

    The iceberg, known as A23a, was once the largest on Earth, covering an area more than twice the size of Greater London.
    But after a path full of twists and turns, A23a has melted, fractured and spectacularly disintegrated over the past year.

    ...

    While other icebergs have travelled further in the past, A23a is the furthest north of any Antarctic iceberg being tracked by scientists today. It’s closer to the equator than London.

    Edit: I'd respectfully disagree with the person who changed 'climate change' to the first tag, as it seems disingenuous to why the iceburg melted (though, the title doesn't help). It's obviously relevant, as the data were collected with the intention of understanding the potential future reponses of climate change, but even the article itself states that "is a natural phenomenon and not necessarily the result of climate change".

    I think it's important nuance that this is data collection about natural processes foremost.

    7 votes
    1. [3]
      cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Nobody manually moved it to the front, it was done automatically. 'climate change' is considered an "important" tag in ~enviro so it automatically gets moved to the top+front of the tag line....

      I'd respectfully disagree with the person who changed 'climate change' to the first tag

      Nobody manually moved it to the front, it was done automatically. 'climate change' is considered an "important" tag in ~enviro so it automatically gets moved to the top+front of the tag line. Important tags also still show up under the topic title on the group page even if a user has "Show topic tags in listing pages" unchecked in their settings.

      8 votes
      1. [2]
        lackofaname
        Link Parent
        Oh, gotcha! Thanks for the explanation, I didn't realise that was a thing. I saw some different tags and the move from science to enviro (which, fair, I waffled between which place to post it),...

        Oh, gotcha! Thanks for the explanation, I didn't realise that was a thing. I saw some different tags and the move from science to enviro (which, fair, I waffled between which place to post it), and just assumed.

        5 votes
  2. [2]
    HiddenTig
    (edited )
    Link
    I'm sad to learn they stop tracking them after it gets down to a certain size. I'd be curious to see how an ice berg "dies".

    I'm sad to learn they stop tracking them after it gets down to a certain size. I'd be curious to see how an ice berg "dies".

    2 votes
    1. lackofaname
      Link Parent
      I felt the same reading about that! The article took us across the journey of its life, then it's just let go! But realistically, at some point it must get difficult-impossible to visualise and track.

      I felt the same reading about that! The article took us across the journey of its life, then it's just let go! But realistically, at some point it must get difficult-impossible to visualise and track.

      2 votes