UPSC Articles
A-76 becomes World’s Largest Iceberg currently afloat in the world
Part of: GS Prelims and GS-III – Environment
In news
- A giant slab of ice bigger than the Spanish island of Majorca has sheared off from the frozen edge of Antarctica into the Weddell Sea.
- It has now become the largest iceberg currently afloat in the world.
Key takeaways
- The iceberg is designated A-76 by scientists.
- A-76 broke away from Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf.
- It was spotted in recent satellite images captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission.
Do you know?
- It surpassed the now second-place A-23A iceberg which is also floating in the Weddell Sea.
- Spain’s popular tourist island of Majorca lies in the Mediterranean.
- The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre.
- Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula
