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UAB Antarctic explorer and polar biologist discusses one of history’s largest iceberg breaks

  • July 12, 2017
Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf has broken away from the mainland, resulting in a one-trillion ton iceberg.
Written by: Katherine Shonesy
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Video by: UAB Visual Content


mcclintock video streamUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham polar biologist and Antarctic explorer, Jim McClintock, Ph.D., provided advance insight into the Larsen C ice shelf break that occurred sometime between Monday, July 10 and Wednesday, July 12.

This is an ice shelfClick to enlargeThis ice shelf break, which encompasses a 5,800 square kilometer, one-trillion ton section of Larsen C in Antarctica, is one of the biggest iceberg breaks ever recorded in history. Its volume is more twice that of Lake Erie.

McClintock offers a unique perspective on this monumental event, as he speaks to the incredible effects that Antarctica’s extremely diverse ecosystem will experience, and ultimately how this break will impact global ecology.