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Science/Tech See other Science/Tech Articles Title: 11-Million-Ton Iceberg Stalls Offshore, Threatening Greenland Village 11-Million-Ton Iceberg Stalls Offshore, Threatening Greenland Village By Drew MacFarlane 10 hours agoweather.com Giant Iceberg Threatens Greenland Village A huge iceberg has drifted close to a tiny village on the western coast of Greenland, causing fear that it could swamp the settlement with a tsunami if it calves. At a Glance > An 11-million-ton iceberg has grounded out and parked itself near a tiny village in Greenland. > Researchers say there's a risk a large chunk could break off and cause a tidal wave to blast into the village. > There's hope a new moon will bring a rise in the tide and help dislodge the massive berg. Imagine living in a house in the suburbs and one morning looking out your front window to find a skyscraper towering over your home. That's what researchers are comparing the 11-million-ton iceberg currently looming over a tiny village in Greenland to. "I'd be the first to get out of there," David Holland, a New York University oceanographer told National Public Radio. Like-minded authorities have evacuated those living closest to the shoreline in Innaarsuit, a village of about 170 people, according to the BBC. Holland, who does research in Greenland during summer, said that the shallow bays surrounding the area are an easy spot for icebergs to drift into and bottom out on the sea floor. It's when they get stuck that people living nearby can begin to feel uneasy about the bergs. A view of an Iceberg, near the village Innarsuit, on the northwestern Greenlandic coast. "There's a risk that a large chunk of ice could break off this very large iceberg, fall into the ocean, and cause a mini-tidal wave that will wash up and hit the village," Dr. Anna Hogg, a glaciologist at the University of Leeds, says. Hogg adds that icebergs, while massive, are fragile and contain fractures throughout them. Something that may come as a bit of a surprise is that most of the residents of Innaarsuit, one of seaside communities in Greenland with a marine-based economy, don't know how to swim. This adds to the risk of a potential tidal wave or flooding, says Hogg. "There's only one swimming pool in Greenland. It's in Nuuk, which is much further down the coast than this village that we're talking about," says Hogg. "If you think about it, why would they be able to swim? The ocean water is just so cold; you can't even put your toe in without it being unbearably freezing." Data recorded via satellite found that the iceberg spanned about 650 feet in width and towered almost 300 feet above the water, according to an expert from the Danish Meteorological Institute. Authorities have been keeping a close eye on the lumbering iceberg and say it's moved some 600 yards to the north since being lodged. There's hope that a new moon will bring in a rise in the tide, allowing the iceberg to dislodge itself and float away from the village, says Sermitsiaq, a national newspaper in Greenland. Poster Comment: Where did this huge iceberg come from along west coast of Greenland? Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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