What are the implications of such a large piece of ice break off from Antarctica

asks jaysway:

A. The block of ice which broke off from the Antarctic is 3,250 square kilometres - about the size of Wales - and is estimated to weigh about 500 million billion tonnes. It has broken up into thousands of icebergs, which are now adrift in the Weddell Sea, where they will gradually float north and melt in warmer waters.

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Q. Was the ice breaking off expected
A. Yes. Years ago, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey had predicted that the northernmost iceshelf - called Larsen B - would collapse. However, they were totally shocked by the speed at which it happened; the whole shelf took just 31 days to break off - or 'fall over like a wall', as one of the scientists put it.

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Q. What effect will all this ice have in the sea
A. The collapse of the Larsen B is reckoned to have added more ice to the sea than all the icebergs in the last 50 years. However, it was an iceshelf and already floating in the sea, so it won't have any impact on sea levels. Sea levels will only rise when the ice held on the land in Antarctica starts to flow into the sea.

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If temperatures in Antarctica keep on rising, then the whole West Antarctic Ice Sheet could collapse, and that would create a sea level rise of five to six metres.

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Q. Is it due to global warming then
A. That's what the experts reckon. The US government's Ice Center attributes it to 'a strong climate warming in the area'. The Ice Center also reports that a huge iceberg recently broke off from the Thwaites ice tongue into the southern Amundsen Sea. Named Iceberg B22, it is more than 64 kilometres wide and 85 kilometres long.

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Q. How much is Antarctica heating up
A. Antarctica has warmed by almost 2.5C in 50 years - five times faster than the rest of the world. It's believed to be the warmest it has been for more than 1,800 years. Losing some of its ice shelves won't help keep it cool, either. Around 80% of the sun's heat is reflected back into space by the ice, so losing ice means that more heat may be absorbed.

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By Sheena Miller