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An enormous iceberg is drifting dangerously close to the shore in northwestern Greenland
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The skyscraper-sized piece of ice is on a potential collision course with the harbour of Innaarsuit, a village in Greenland’s Avannaata Municipality.
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It originally sidled up to the village last week, but seemed to have drifted away before reappearing on Monday and remaining precariously close.
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Local authorities have issued warnings to residents as the iceberg sits near the Royal Greenland fish factory and the local grocery store. People have been advised to take care when in that part of the community.
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Emergency services are encouraging families not to go in a group towards the store. They are also asking people who have difficulty walking to be extra careful. The fish-processing factory has been temporarily closed.
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Meanwhile, locals have been advised to be careful when sailing to or from the settlement.
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While some residents are concerned, others are reportedly excited by the rare and dramatic sight.
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This image from July 2018 shows the last time a giant iceberg threatened the village of Innarsuit, in northwestern Greenland. Photo by Magnus Kristensen /Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty ImagesArticle content
What can be done with large icebergs that threaten coastal communities?
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There are few options for dealing with threatening icebergs. One of the main concerns with a large iceberg is that it will “calve” (split), with pieces falling into the ocean, resulting in large waves that will swamp nearby coastal communities.
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As a result, authorities monitor icebergs for cracks and holes that may result in calving.
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The first line of defence is for nearby residents to evacuate. That occurred in 2018, when this same Greenlandic community was similarly threatened.
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Other options have been considered but remain experimental. They involve explosives to break up the iceberg and towing. These tactics present monumental challenges.
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The U.S. Coast Guard says aside from difficulty involved in successfully getting onto an iceberg, demolition would require “a 1,000 lb. charge of conventional explosives…to break up approximately 70,000 cubic ft of ice (an iceberg weighing 1,960 tons).” Further, a hundred of these charges would be needed to destroy an average iceberg, (presumably more for the mammoth berg threatening Innaarsuit at this time).