Academics track Manhattan-sized iceberg to prevent maritime hazard

An iceberg the size of Manhattan which could threaten shipping lanes is being tracked by a team led by the University of Sheffield in a bid to stop it becoming a maritime hazard.

Professor Grant Bigg, from the University’s Department of Geography, is heading the project to monitor the movement and melting of the iceberg which has recently broken off a glacier in Antarctica and predict its likely path and any environmental impact

Professor Bigg said: “Its current movement does not raise environmental issues, however a previous giant iceberg from this location eventually entered the South Atlantic and if this happens it could potentially pose a hazard to ships.

“If the iceberg stays around the Antarctic coast, it will melt slowly and will eventually add a lot of freshwater that stays in the coastal current, altering the density and affecting the speed of the current. Similarly, if it moves north it will melt faster but could alter the overturning rates of the current as it may create a cap of freshwater above the denser seawater.”

Professor Bigg said the iceberg wasn’t large enough to have a big impact, but could have an effect. “If these events become more common, there will be a build-up of freshwater which could have lasting effects,” he added.

The six month project, which has been funded by the National Environment Research Council (NERC), is being co-led by Dr Robert Marsh, from the University of Southampton.

Their work is expected to not only provide a timely warning of any consequences of the iceberg’s release to the shipping industry but also test a technique which could in the future be used by ice hazard warning services.

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