Coming to a beach near us ...

[Stormswift]

A country sized iceberg - the size of many small countries ... could conceivably start its journey towards NZ shores. (Not the first time, but certainly the biggest)

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/12/giant-antarctic-iceberg-breaks-free-of-larsen-c-ice-shelf

[Friends just call me Ross]

I've been watching that for months.

Waiting for a ginormous iceberg to be born is sort of like waiting for a baby giraffe to be born.

[Old]

Makes me shiver just thinking about it. 

[Stormswift]

Doubly so for me Jerry, we have gales and freezing wind/rain - snow not far away from us. Icebergs fit well into that list.

[Greg Dent]

It would take decades for it to drift anywhere. A report I saw on the weather network said that it would flow around the continent of Antarctica for a very long time because of the currents around there not going anywhere but in a circle . 

[M&M]

Interesting. A few questions if anyone knows or cares to speculate.

I guess that means it broke off from the mainland? 

If so, does that mean it will melt faster?

Will it make a noticeable difference in sea level?

Will it cause damage to animal or human life?

Part of global warming?

[Hartley]

2 hours ago, M&M said:

Interesting. A few questions if anyone knows or cares to speculate.

I guess that means it broke off from the mainland? 

If so, does that mean it will melt faster?

Will it make a noticeable difference in sea level?

Will it cause damage to animal or human life?

Part of global warming?

It was a floating ice sheet attached indirectly to antarctic land mass. 

It will melt faster as it moves north.

As it is already floating it will not make any difference to sea levels.

Its effect on animal and human life will be minimal.

As an isolated incident it give no information at all about global warming. When added to the many incidents that have taken place in both the arctic, antactic and glacial melting it is a definate indicator.

[M&M]

Thank you Hartley. I really appreciate it.

[pnutts]

Maybe someone will go and collect ice for drinks from it. They have done it before.

[thebluebaron]

16 hours ago, Greg Dent said:

It would take decades for it to drift anywhere. A report I saw on the weather network said that it would flow around the continent of Antarctica for a very long time because of the currents around there not going anywhere but in a circle . 

For goodness sake man, did you have to bring common sense into it! 

[Stormswift]

16 hours ago, Greg Dent said:

It would take decades for it to drift anywhere. A report I saw on the weather network said that it would flow around the continent of Antarctica for a very long time because of the currents around there not going anywhere but in a circle . 

Hasn't been the case in recent years ... its quite common for an iceberg to float past NZ ... one was even in sight from the shore a few years ago.

 

Although, in the case of this one and the size of it, it won't be like the others.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/11/25/iceberg.newzealand/

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11739047

Edited July 13, 2017 by Stormswift

[Shawnster]

2 hours ago, Stormswift said:

Hasn't been the case in recent years ... its quite common for an iceberg to float past NZ ... one was even in sight from the shore a few years ago.

 

Although, in the case of this one and the size of it, it won't be like the others.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/11/25/iceberg.newzealand/

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11739047

But when did those icebergs form initially?  Maybe they floated around Antarctica for years before finally drifting away. 

[Stormswift]

20 minutes ago, Shawnster said:

But when did those icebergs form initially?  Maybe they floated around Antarctica for years before finally drifting away. 

Agreed, and it may take a while for this one to break up ... as this is the biggest yet, but with the acceleration of global warming. it would not surprise me if at least some splinters from this will be seen.

 

The ones that passed in 2006 were from a calving in the year 2000. Eleven years on, with an acceleration of Global Warming it may take another four or less years to see the effects of this one. If we see it sooner, then things are worse than we think .. or is that possible?

Edited July 13, 2017 by Stormswift

[Shawnster]

53 minutes ago, Stormswift said:

. If we see it sooner, then things are worse than we think .. or is that possible?

 

I don't know if one must lead to the other.  If global climate change worsens, who knows how that will affect such things?  It might do any number of things.

[Stormswift]

Yes ... if we have another earthquake like we've had we will move closer to Aussie, anything can happen, you can only guage things on the status quo until the statu quo changes.

[Hartley]

The Australian government is arranging to fit some large outboard motors to the back of it to bring it back to Australia. Here it will be melted down for water and Airconditioning supplies.

[Stormswift]

LOL ... as funny as that is ... there is a serious side to that, it is a lot of water that could be used for countries needing it, if the governments had got their skates on which we know they haven't.  Thanks for not taking my thread too serious about this big boy heading to our beaches. 

[Hartley]

Which is bigger, the iceberg or New Zealand?

[Stormswift]

might push us towards australia, then size won't be an issue we will just meld with you guys.

[Hartley]

Our  witnessing territory is about the same size as the iceberg

[EccentricM]

I guess they wanted to become an independent nation... 

[pnutts]

Ice berg ice for sale - told ya so. Not as chique as fancy restaurant, but

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/logan-humby-iceberg-ice-stand-1.4208448