A-76 becomes World’s Largest Iceberg currently afloat in the world 

  • IASbaba
  • May 21, 2021
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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

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