In 2017, iceberg A-68, slightly larger than the region of Liguria (5,800 square kilometers), detached from the Larsen C ice shelf of Antarctica in a spectacular event. This got global attention, raising questions about the relationship between climate change and the formation of massive icebergs.
A research team led by MacKie et al. conducted the first long-term analysis of the largest annual Antarctic icebergs. The study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, focused on the largest icebergs formed each year between 1976 and 2023, with sizes reaching up to 11,000 square kilometers.
The objective was to identify changes in the frequency of extreme calving events over time, utilizing statistical models designed for analyzing small datasets with rare events. The results indicated a slight decrease in the sizes of the largest icebergs over the study period, suggesting that extreme events have not increased despite intensifying climate changes.
Additional studies support this conclusion, showing an increase in smaller calving events over time. This implies that climate change is impacting the continent, but its effects manifest more through widespread and less spectacular phenomena than through extreme events.