Vast iceberg threatens ocean life, global climate

Image by orvaratli via Flickr

BBC News reports that a gigantic iceberg – at 2,500 km^2, larger than Greater London – could threaten marine life and disrupt key ocean cycles.

They say the iceberg, which is 78km long and up to 39km wide, could have
consequences for the area’s colonies of emperor penguins.
…
The calving of the iceberg, which has an estimated mass of 700-800bn
tonnes, has changed the shape of the local geography, Dr Young
explained.
…

He added that the new iceberg had shortened the length of the Mertz
Glacier Tongue, which could result in pack ice entering the area and
disrupting the polynia.

“That means that the bottom water
production rate… will decrease.

“The bottom water spills over
the continental shelf, flows down the continental slope into the deep
ocean.”

This process helps drive the “conveyor belt” of currents
in the Southern, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

Any disruption to
the net flow of bottom water could result in a weakening in the deep
ocean circulation system, which plays a key role in the global climate
system.