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At the world's largest iceberg | Q&A with science editor Tom Clarke

Science and technology editor Tom Clarke has been flying over A23a, the world's largest iceberg, and seen first-hand its vast scale, its cracks and the dangers it could pose to wildlife and shipping near South Georgia. He's answered your questions - catch up if you missed it here.

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Science editor Tom Clarke answers your questions
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That's the end of our Q&A

Thanks for following along - and for sending us your questions for what was an illuminating 20 minutes!

Scroll back through our posts to take a look at Tom Clarke's answers to your questions. Some of our favourites were:

  • How did A23a get its name? 
  • How do we know its true size?
  • What impact does the melting ice have on sea levels?
  • Are there any plans to use explosives to stop wildlife being harmed?

You can also watch the stream back at the top of the page.

How terrifying is the iceberg's size?

Amber:

Does the scale of it scare you?

"It actually blew my mind" is Clarke's answer.

"I think what does scare me a little bit... it is emblematic in a very rapid increase in ice loss. 

"Antarctica is losing about 150 billion tonnes a year as our planet warms."

About half of that is due to icebergs breaking away," he adds.

How far will it travel before it melts?

Jonathan B:

How far will it travel before it melts?

"I think unless it breaks free, this one is a goner," says Clarke.

"It was already breaking up quite a lot when we flew over it, and the ocean around here is much warmer, so it's probably going to break up really swiftly indeed."

Here's footage from Clarke's flyover...

The iceberg is scraping the seabed - what's the impact of this?

Jane McStanley:

Can you please explain a little more about what 'ocean scour' is, where the iceberg scrapes the sea floor?

That's what's happening with this iceberg, says Tom Clarke.

The iceberg has run aground and it will be gouging the sea bed - "that has a very local impact", Clarke adds.

There are corals even in this part of the world, so valuable marine habitats get "completely obliterated".

It also churns up a lot of sediment, Clarke says, which can release nutrients into the sea.

That can also fertilise the ocean and make more food available for krill, for example.

How did the iceberg get its name?

Andre:

How did the iceberg get its name? Do icebergs get named like storms?

Tom Clarke points out that this is a good question from Andre, as he goes on to say icebergs do in fact get named like storms.

"It's something I only learnt quite recently," he says.

He explains the icebergs are given a letter and a number depending on what quadrant of the Antarctic they come from.

The iceberg we're talking about here has been named A23a.

"That came from the A sector which is in the same quadrant close to where we are here, and it's a big, big ice shelf."

Clarke adds that A23a is not the biggest iceberg we have ever seen - that title belongs to B15 which broke off after being almost three times bigger than A23a.

B15 was thought to be similar in size to the US state of Connecticut when it broke from Antarctica in March 2000.

It has since fractured into many smaller bergs, with most of them melting away.

How responsible is carbon dioxide for global warming?

Chris H:

How responsible is CO2 or other human factors in global warming/climate change and what evidence is there?

There's "overwhelming evidence", says Tom Clarke.

"What scientists have been able to establish in more recent decades is how much human-made carbon dioxide sources are contributing to global warming," he says.

"And there's little doubt now that's causing this rapid rate of warming."

We know there were higher CO2 levels in the distant past, Clarke says, but what's alarming now is the speed of the increase now.

"That's something that's not happened in human history," Clarke adds.

What impact will this have on sea levels?

Postyquinn:

If the iceberg melts what impact will this have on sea levels?

"This is a really important and good question," says Tom Clarke.

"The answer is none. This iceberg came from an ice shelf, which is a glacier that has come down off Antarctica that's floating on the sea already. 

"So the ice has come off the continent and as soon as it starts floating on the ocean, it has already made its contribution to sea level rising.

"Here's why - when you put an ice cube in your drink of water, it displaces its volume of water straight away, because ice is less dense than water, that's why ice cubs float.

"As they melt, they won't contribute any further to the amount of water in the glass - they've already done that when they went into the glass."

What effect will the melting ice have?

Marky:

When the iceberg starts to melt what effect will this have on the environment? What can be done to minimise any impact?

That's a good question - and Tom Clarke says there's not much that can be done to minimise the impact of the melting ice.

But he does go on to say the impacts are something that is actively being studied.

"One thing we definitely know happens is all of that trillion tonnes of ice in the berg, when it melts, that's a trillion tonnes of fresh water going into salty seawater," he says.

"It doesn't dissolve straight away. It's actually much less dense than salty seawater, freshwater."

Clarke explains this has two potential impacts - it pushes the food that things like penguins and seals feed on lower down the water column, and it can also disrupt large ocean currents.

How do we know the iceberg's true size?

Simon B:

How do you work out it's only one trillion tonnes, unless you have mapped the underside of the whole thing?

That number is a guesstimate, says Clarke.

That's based on the width of the iceberg and the estimated height.

"It will sit in the water differently to your average iceberg," he adds.

We do have a clear indication of how deep one corner is. 

But every minute, he says, huge chunks are coming off the iceberg. 

"It's inevitably going to melt and break up," he adds.

Clarke witnessed the incredible scale of the iceberg on a flyover - watch the breathtaking footage here:

Are there any plans to use explosives to stop wildlife being harmed?

Nigel :

If the megaberg does threaten the penguins and other sea creatures, are there any plans to use explosives or other human intervention to stop it?

Despite the iceberg threatening important penguin colonies, Tom Clarke says the natural process must be allowed to run its course.

"These glaciers have been carving off the ice shelves of Antarctica since it's been covered in ice. The courses these icebergs take are natural too," he says.

"Yes it does present a potential hazard to wildlife and shipping, but most people would agree it's just part of the natural dynamics of this really spectacular and ever-changing Antarctic marine environment that happens down there.

"It's just one of those things that happens, and the wildlife has to contend with it, like it does with bad weather or fluctuation in their food supplies."

Clarke adds that if you did use explosives to blow up the iceberg, it would turn into smaller pieces, which would cause even greater harm to wildlife.