Massive iceberg breaking away from Antarctica

Scientists are watching as a major piece of Antarctica is preparing to break off the continent.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Antarctic scientists have reported that a massive rift has formed in the ice shelf in front of the Pine Island Glacier (PIG). The crack is almost 20 miles long, and 200 feet deep, and is said to be growing on a daily basis. It's believed that the ice will break away sometime in late December or early 2012.

The great iceberg is expected to be about the size of the city of Berlin.

The Pine Island Glacier is one of Antarctica's largest and fastest moving glaciers. Researchers say that it accounts for approximately 10 percent of all the ice flowing out of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet into the ocean.

Recent measurements show that the glacier has been thinning, believed by some to be a product of global warming. But another team working for NASA says this is simply part of a natural cycle that seems to occur once per decade.

Doctor Michael Studinger, a NASA scientist working on NASA's "IceBridge" project said, "the last big calving event occurred in 2001 so in general people have been expecting something like this to happen fairly soon, and for us it is very exciting to see this while it is happening."

The impact of such a large iceberg is substantial. Of immediate concern will be its possible effect on shipping has iceberg floats north. Because of its size, it should travel a considerable distance before finally melting altogether.

Icebergs of this size also dump massive quantities of fresh water into the ocean which can have an impact on ecosystems there. These icebergs also carry rocks and even boulders which eventually are dropped by the berg as it melts. This debris is dropped to the bottom of the ocean where it can cause new life to flourish on the seabed, but researchers also note that the debris can also serve as obstacles for migratory sea creatures.

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