Wondering what the recent collapse of the Larsen C ice shelf might mean for travel to Antarctica? Luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent will be hosting a discussion with Professor James McClintock, a marine biologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), on its Facebook page to answer questions. Travel agents can posts questions to the Facebook page now, and Professor McClintock will answer them in a Facebook Live video Friday, 11 a.m. ET. Update: The discussion has concluded -- you can watch the archived version below:
Yesterday an iceberg four times the size of London – one of the largest on record -- broke off from the Antarctic ice shelf, The Daily Telegraph reports via Luxury Travel Advisor. The calving of the iceberg reduces the size of the Larsen C ice shelf by around 12 percent and is so large it will force maps of the Antarctic Peninsula to be redrawn. Since the iceberg was already floating, the calving will not cause any change in sea levels.
While scientists interviewed by The Telegraph said that they are not aware of any link between the collapse and human-induced climate change, there are concerns that the calving of this iceberg could cause Larsen C to disintegrate in a way similar to Larsen B, which broke up in 2002 after a similar incident.
Professor McClintock has been studying climate change in Antarctica for more than 25 years and has written a book about his experiences, Lost Antarctica. He also leads a climate change cruise to Antarctica each year for Abercrombie & Kent that delivers scientific equipment needed by researchers at U.S. Palmer Research Station. Last week Professor McClintock spoke more about what the collapse means at a briefing:
Stay tuned to www.travelagentcentral.com Friday to watch the live discussion.
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