Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level : D28

Mains level : Climate change and on cryosphere

• A more than 1,500 sq.km. D28 iceberg recently broke off Antarctica.

D28

• The iceberg, dubbed D28, broke away from the Amery ice shelf according to observations from European and American satellites.
• It is about 210 metres thick and contains 315 billion tonnes of ice.
• The east of Antarctica — where D28 broke off — is different from the west of the continent and Greenland, which are rapidly warming due to climate change.

Not related to Climate Change

• Scientists found that the event is part of a normal cycle and is not related to climate change.
• The figures are huge, but iceberg production is part of the normal cycle of ice shelves, which are an extension of the ice cap.
• Ice shelves have to lose mass because they gain mass.
• The gain in mass comes from snow falling on the continent and glaciers that move slowly toward the shore.