It might have suffered a big break-up this week, but the iceberg A68a is still carrying substantial bulk. The latest satellite analysis indicates this Antarctic colossus maintains a thickness that could yet see it catch in the waters surrounding the South Atlantic island of South Georgia. If that happens, then worries about the effects the […]
Copernicus Data 2020 / A.Luckman The giant iceberg that’s been drifting through the South Atlantic looks to have experienced a major break-up. Tuesday’s latest satellite imagery reveals major fissures in the tabular berg known as A68a, with huge blocks of ice starting to separate and move away from each other. A68a, which calved from Antarctica […]
DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Jupiter and Saturn are set to cross paths in the night sky, appearing to the naked eye as a “double planet”. The timing of this conjunction, as the celestial event is known, has caused some to suggest it may have been the source of a bright light in the sky […]
Arianespace The OneWeb satellite broadband company is back launching again, putting up 36 new satellites on Friday from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Eastern Russia. The spacecraft are to join the 74 already in orbit. OneWeb is now owned principally by the Indian conglomerate Bharti Global and the UK government after they bought the enterprise out […]
Phil Coomes For the first time in the UK – and possibly the world – air pollution has been recognised as a cause of a person’s death. But was the ruling just a one-off? And what does it mean for others? On 16 December, Southwark Coroner’s Court in London found that air pollution “made a […]
David White A team of scientists is being sent to the South Atlantic to study the giant iceberg A68a. The 3,900-sq-km behemoth is currently drifting offshore of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia where it threatens to run aground. If that happens it could make life extremely difficult for the wildlife haven’s penguins and […]
Getty Images The global response to the Covid-19 pandemic has driven the biggest annual fall in CO2 emissions since World War Two, say researchers. Their study indicates that emissions have declined by around 7% this year. France and the UK saw the greatest falls, mainly due to severe shutdowns in response to a second wave […]
Reuters The government has announced that it will end direct support for overseas fossil fuel projects, as the UK hosts a key climate summit. The move means the UK will no longer provide export finance or aid funding for oil, gas or coal projects. The statement comes as the UK, France and the UN host […]
Rafal Kowalczyk The European bison has moved a step back from the brink of extinction, according to an update of the official extinction list. Europe’s largest land mammal was almost wiped out by hunting and deforestation a century ago, but numbers have now risen to over 6,000 in wild herds across the continent. The recovery […]
The RAF has now released footage from its low-level flight over A68a, the world’s biggest iceberg. An A400m transporter was recently sent on a reconnaissance mission to assess the state of the 4,200-sq-km behemoth. As the previously published stills have shown, A68a is crumbling; but the video also underscores the berg’s great size. Roughly on […]