As Southern hemisphere summer comes: 2 vids transcripts: 1 "the loss of these ice shelves removes a natural barrier that holds back land-based glaciers. When those glaciers flow more freely into the sea, they contribute to rising sea levels, potentially by several feet over time." 2 The world's largest and longest lasting iceberg is breaking apart, entering what experts describe as a dramatic death spiral that will see it fragment into many smaller pieces. Video 1: Antarctic Ice Melt Could Collapse Ocean Currents by 2050:
-sending a deep water current northwards 1:34 to the Indian Pacific and Atlantic 1:36 oceans. Scientists say the greater 1:39 volumes of melting ice make the 1:41 Antarctic waters less dense and salty, 1:44 however, slowing the deep water 1:46 circulation with consequences for 1:48 climate, sea level, and marine 1:50 ecosystems. 1:52 If the oceans had lungs, this would be 1:55 one of them, England said. He added that 1:58 if oceans become stagnant below 4,000 m, 2:02 this would trap nutrients in the deep 2:04 ocean, reducing the nutrients available 2:06 to support marine life near the ocean 2:09 surface. 2:10 UNSW emmeritus professor John Church who 2:14 was not involved in the study said there 2:16 were many uncertainties about the impact 2:18 of a declining deep ocean circulation 2:21 but it seems almost certain that 2:23 continuing on a high greenhouse gas 2:25 emission pathway will lead to even more 2:28 profound effects on the ocean and the 2:30 climate system. Church said, "The world 2:33 urgently needs to drastically reduce our 2:35 emissions to get off the high emission 2:37 pathway we are currently following." The 2:40 study team included lead author Chen Lee 2:43 of the Massachusetts Institute of 2:45 Technology and co-authors from the 2:47 Australian National University and 2:49 Australia's National Research 2:51 Organization. 2:53 Thanks for tuning into this incredible 2:55 story. If this episode resonated with 2:58 you, don't forget to hit the like and 3:00 subscribe button for more captivating 3:02 stories to come.
Video 2
Massive Antarctic Iceberg A23A Shatters in Death Spiral: What This Means for Climate Change
The world's largest and longest lasting
0:02
iceberg is breaking apart, entering what
0:05
experts describe as a dramatic death
0:08
spiral that will see it fragment into
0:11
many smaller pieces. But here's where it
0:13
gets controversial. This isn't just a
0:16
slow melting process. Scientists warn it
0:18
could end with a sudden spectacular
0:20
collapse that might resemble an
0:22
avalanche of ice crashing into the
0:24
ocean. Located near South Georgia
0:27
Island, the colossal iceberg known as
0:29
A23A has been a fixture in the southern
0:32
ocean for decades. However, it has now
0:35
diminished so much that it no longer
0:38
holds the title of the biggest iceberg
0:40
afloat. Ted Scambos, an ice scientist
0:43
from the University of Colorado,
0:45
explained in a recent interview with the
0:47
Associated Press that while such
0:49
breakups are not unprecedented, each
0:51
event is a remarkable spectacle that
0:54
captures the attention of researchers
0:56
and the public alike. To clarify,
0:58
because ice shelves like A23A already
1:01
float on the ocean, their melting does
1:03
not directly cause sea levels to rise.
1:06
But, and this is the part most people
1:08
miss, the loss of these ice shelves
1:10
removes a natural barrier that holds
1:13
back land-based glaciers. When those
1:15
glaciers flow more freely into the sea,
1:18
they contribute to rising sea levels,
1:20
potentially by several feet over time.
1:22
A23A originally caved from Antarctica's
1:25
Filner Ronnie ice shelf back in 1986.
1:29
This event followed the development of a
1:31
massive crack known as the Grand Chasm,
1:33
which scientists had been monitoring
1:35
since the 1950s. For about 35 years, the
1:39
iceberg remained relatively stable near
1:41
Antarctica. But in recent years, it
1:43
drifted northward toward South Georgia
1:45
Island, a region often described as the
1:48
final resting place for giant icebergs.
1:51
At the start of this year, A23A was
1:54
roughly the size of Rhode Island and
1:56
weighed an astonishing trillion tons.
2:00
Now it has shrunk to about the size of
2:02
Houston and continues to break apart
2:04
rapidly. The new largest iceberg in the
2:07
world is D15A
2:09
which is nearly twice as large as the
2:11
diminished A23A.
2:13
According to Andrew Meyers from the
2:15
British Antarctic Survey, A23A has
2:19
already fragmented into smaller pieces
2:21
which have been designated A23D,
2:24
A23E and A23F.
2:27
Recent NASA satellite images reveal that
2:30
even more chunks have separated just
2:32
days apart, highlighting the iceberg's
2:34
accelerating disintegration. Scamos
2:37
points out that although A23A remains
2:40
quite thick, it is significantly thinner
2:42
than when it first caved from the
2:44
continent. This thinning makes it
2:46
vulnerable to subtle forces like long
2:48
period ocean waves and tidal movements.
2:51
These gentle but persistent flexing
2:53
motions exploit weak points in the
2:55
iceberg structure, causing pieces to
2:57
break off gradually. Meyers predicts
3:00
that this fracturing will only speed up
3:02
as the iceberg moves further north and
3:04
the Antarctic spring arrives. By the end
3:07
of the season, he expects A23A to
3:10
disintegrate into fragments too small to
3:12
track reliably. If the iceberg manages
3:15
to survive the spring, the summer
3:18
conditions could be even harsher. Scamos
3:21
warns that warmer waters, even near the
3:23
surface, could trigger a rapid collapse,
3:26
turning the iceberg into what he
3:28
describes as an avalanche floating on
3:31
the ocean, potentially breaking apart in
3:34
a single day. Interestingly, when Meyers
3:37
visited A23A at the end of 2023, he
3:41
described it as a breathtaking site.
3:44
The iceberg itself is colossal and
3:46
stretches from horizon to horizon. It's
3:49
a huge wall, a Game of Thrones style
3:52
wall of ice towering above the ship.
3:55
It's important to understand that the
3:57
birth and breakup of meabbergs like A23A
4:00
is a natural process that has been
4:02
occurring for centuries. Meyers
4:05
emphasizes this point and Scambos adds
4:07
that the fragmentation near South
4:09
Georgia Island is typical once these ice
4:12
giants encounter warmer currents and
4:14
ocean waters. But here's a question to
4:16
ponder. As climate change accelerates
4:18
ocean warming, will these natural cycles
4:21
of iceberg cving and disintegration
4:24
become more frequent or intense? Could
4:26
the rapid collapse of icebergs like A23A
4:30
signal a tipping point for Antarctic ice
4:32
stability? Share your thoughts. Do you
4:35
see this as a natural rhythm of our
4:37
planet or a warning sign of deeper
4:39
environmental shifts? The debate is open
4:42
and your voice matters.
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