--- title: "World’s Largest Iceberg Breaks off Antarctica" description: "A  gigantic iceberg roughly 70 times the size of Manhattan has broken off from the Antarctic, becoming the world's largest iceberg." date: "2021-05-21" modified: "2021-05-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/worlds-largest-iceberg-antarctica" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "antarctic" - "Antarctica" - "iceberg" - "the digest" --- # World’s Largest Iceberg Breaks off Antarctica ![A  gigantic iceberg roughly 70 times the size of Manhattan has broken off from the Antarctic, becoming the world's largest iceberg.]() *\Image: ESA\* ## Iceberg Ahead A gigantic iceberg, roughly 70 times the size of Manhattan, has broken off from the Antarctic, in the process becoming the world's largest iceberg, [according to The European Space Agency]() (ESA). The gigantic slab of ice, 1,668 square miles in size, is now floating in the Weddell Sea south east of South America, and was spotted by the ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-1, a land and sea monitoring satellite constellation — an epic demonstration of the dynamism of the living planet. ## Berg Rush The event was not linked to climate change, research glaciologist at the University of Colorado at Boulder Ted Scambos [told *Reuters*](), and is part of a natural cycle instead. Since it was already in the water, the formation of the iceberg won't be raising ocean levels either, according to Scambos. Other scientists agree. "It’s not an area that is undergoing any significant change because of global heating," Alex Brisbourne, a glaciologist at the British Antarctic Survey, [confirmed to the *New Scientist*](). "The main message is it’s part of a natural cycle." While the breaking off itself wasn't directly linked to climate change, some experts argue there are greater worrying changes at play as well. "I am concerned with any ice loss today, because any ice loss is part of our greater global ice loss and to me it’s terrifying," glaciologist and an explorer with the National Geographic Society M Jackson [told *The New York Times*](). “Globally, we’ve got a glacier problem; we’re losing a lot of ice.” ![]() The iceberg, dubbed A-76, broke away from the Ronne Ice Shelf, one of the largest ice sheets in the Antarctic. The shelf has previously experienced several massive bergs breaking off over the last couple of decades, with its biggest break up occurring in 1986, according to the *New Scientist*. The previous record holder, called A-68a, appeared to be on a collision course with the tiny island of South Georgia, but [luckily broke up]() before it could impact local wildlife. **READ MORE:** [Antarctica gives birth to world’s largest iceberg]() \[*Reuters*\] **More on icebergs:** *[A Huge Iceberg Is Moving. Now Scientists Finally Might Understand What Lives Underneath It.]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()