--- title: "Iceberg Twice the Size of New York City Breaks Off Antarctica" description: "There's a new iceberg in town, freshly minted off of Antarctica's 500-foot-thick Brunt Ice Shelf. And at 600-square-miles, it's something to behold." date: "2023-01-25" modified: "2023-01-25" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/iceberg-breaks-off-antarctica" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Antarctica" - "iceberg" - "iceberg calving" - "the digest" --- # Iceberg Twice the Size of New York City Breaks Off Antarctica ![There's a new iceberg in town, freshly minted off of Antarctica's 500-foot-thick Brunt Ice Shelf. And at 600-square-miles, it's something to behold.]() *\Image: USGS Landsat\* ## Breakin' Free A gigantic iceberg [twice]() the size of New York City has separated itself from Antarctica's 500-foot-thick Brunt Ice Shelf, as captured in [new satellite imagery]() — and, for once, the climate crisis isn't to blame. Scientists say that rising global temperatures had nothing to do with the iceberg calving incident. Roughly ten years ago, as [*The Washington Post* reports](), scientists detected new growth in Chasm-1, a crack in the ice shelf that was long considered dormant. Scientists have been monitoring Chasm-1 closely in the years since, anticipating a future break. "\[The iceberg\] calved after cracks that have been developing naturally over the last few years extended across the entire ice shelf," reads a [press release]() by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), which captured images of the event, "causing the new iceberg to break free." "This calving event has been expected and is part of the natural behavior of the Brunt Ice Shelf," said BAS glaciologist Dominic Hodgson in the statement. "It is not linked to climate change." https://twitter.com/BAS_News/status/1617940718424625170 ## Mammoth Icebergs It's not the first recent Brunt Ice Shelf break. Back in 2021, [another massive]() — albeit slightly smaller — chunk of ice broke off of the same Antarctic shelf, an event that scientists say was also unrelated to our changing climate. "These large iceberg calvings, sometimes as large as a small state, are spectacular," Ted Scambos, a senior research scientist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, told the *WaPo*. "But they're just part of how Antarctica's ice sheet works," he added. "Most of the time they have nothing to do with climate change." **READ MORE:** *[Giant iceberg breaks off from Antarctica. Aerial view is 'spectacular']()* \[*The Washington Post*\] **More on Antarctica:** *[World's Biggest Ice Sheet in Antarctica in Serious Trouble Due to Global Warming]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()