World’s Largest Iceberg has Calved from Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf

The world's largest iceberg has sheared off from Antarctica, resulting in a giant floating piece of ice which is said to be close to 80 times the size of Manhattan. The iceberg was broken from the western side of the Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica's Weddell Sea. The iceberg resembles a giant ironing board, measuring around 170 kilometers in length and 25 kilometers in width. This makes it a bit larger than the Spanish island of Majorca.

Shearing off the iceberg is a part of the natural cycle, with huge chunks of ice breaks from the ice shelf at regular intervals. Recent research reports and scientists aren't attributing this particular break-off to climate change; they have stated that it’s a part of the natural cycle of iceberg calving in the region. Scientists have also stated that once it melts, the new iceberg will not lead to a sea-level rise, as it was part of a floating ice shelf.

The iceberg present in the Antarctic regions is slightly different from the other glaciers or ice sheets found on land. If the entire Ice sheet and glaciers of Antarctica were to melt, it could raise sea levels by nearly 190 feet. But this iceberg melt will not lead to any such rise in the sea level. The melting chunk of the iceberg is now officially known as the A-76.