According to scientist, a giant iceberg the size of Luxembourg (at around 2,500 sq km) that has broken off from a glacier in Antarctica after being rammed by another giant iceberg earlier this month, could affect ocean circulation patterns and weather patterns.

This 2,500 sq km iceberg broke off from the Mertz Glacier’s 160 km “floating tongue” of ice that sticks out into the Southern Ocean. The collision has since halved the size of the tongue that drains ice from the vast East Antarctic ice sheet but scientists say the event was not caused by global warming.

The Mertz glacier iceberg is amongst the largest in recorded history. In 2002, an iceberg about 200 km long broke off from Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf.

Shearing off of the ice tongue and the presence of the Mertz and B-9B icebergs could affect global ocean circulation. It could be detrimental; it could slow down the global ocean circulation.