Iceberg the distance of Luxembourg could thrust Europe in to cold winters

An iceberg the distance of Dorset has damaged off from Antarctica and could interrupt continue patterns for years to come.

The iceberg, that measures 50 miles by twenty-five miles, snapped off the Mertz Glacier, a 100-mile prolonged tongue of ice progressing this month.

It was dislodged by an older, 60-mile-long iceberg called B9B, that pennyless off the glacier in 1987.

The iceberg separate off the Mertz Glacier, a 100-mile separate of floating ice extending in to the Southern Ocean from Antarctica

The dual icebergs, that have a total weight of 1,000billion tons, are right afar floating 90 miles off Antarctica"s northern coast.

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Experts arenow endangered that the iceberg - that contains sufficient uninformed H2O tosupply a fifth of the world"s race for a year - could retard theformation of cold, tainted water, well well known as "bottom water", that drivesthe ocean"s dissemination system.

Any changes to currentswould affect continue patterns around the world. Britain would becomefar colder but the amiable sea H2O brought from the south west bythe North Atlantic drift.

Collision: Before and after the Mertz Glacier Tongue pennyless off in February, when it was dislodged by another, comparison iceberg, well well known as B9B

It could additionally reducethe volume of oxygen in the oceans, murdering wildlife, whilst theregion"s Emperor penguin colonies and seals would additionally be affected.

Glaciologist Dr NealYoung said: "There are Emperor penguin colonies about 300km afar andseals in the area additionally come to get entrance to the open water.

"If the area gets choked up with ice, afterwards they would have to go elsewhere and see for food."

The area of Antarctica where the new iceberg not long ago separate off