NASA says B15, the largest iceberg in history, is disappearing.
According to CNET, Iceberg B-15 may sound like an unremarkable name, but it's one of the most interesting icebergs scientists have ever seen, largely due to its enormous size. However, this iceberg is slowly disappearing. It broke off from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in 2000, at which time it covered 4,250 square miles (approximately 11,000 square kilometers), making it roughly the size of Connecticut. Iceberg B-15 was much larger than the massive iceberg that broke off from the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica last year. Eighteen years after breaking off from the Ross Ice Shelf, Iceberg B-15 has shrunk considerably and broken into several smaller pieces, most of which have melted. Astronauts on the International Space Station photographed a remaining section of the iceberg—B-15Z—in late May. The image shows a large crack in the ice during its formation, with smaller fragments scattered like shattered glass. The iceberg has now drifted to warmer waters near the South Georgia Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. NASA stated on Wednesday, "It is understood that icebergs capable of drifting such long distances typically melt rapidly and end their life cycle there." Source: Daily Headline (2018/06/08)