The boat shook: an iceberg collapsed into the water before the eyes of tourists

During a tour of the famous Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon in Iceland, tourists saw an impressive natural phenomenon - a huge piece of iceberg breaking off.

In the footage, you can hear how travelers admire the sight of the ice block, and then exclaim in surprise when a massive piece of ice breaks off and crashes into the water with a roar.

Professor Mauri Pelto, an expert in glaciology and a member of the scientific council of NASA Earth Observatory, explained that such phenomena are not uncommon for Iceland.

"Icebergs melt faster under water than above it, which is why they become destabilized and can rotate. Warm summers intensify this process," he said.

The professor also noted that the footage shows "water level grooves" - traces of the iceberg already starting to turn over.

Climate data scientist Max Dugan-Knight from Deep Sky Research added that iceberg calving is part of a natural process, but climate change is accelerating it.

"The water in the lagoon is warmer than the glacier, plus the effects of the tides and waves, all of which lead to the destruction of the ice masses," he explained.

According to a study published in the journal Science in 2023, the world's glaciers could lose up to 40% of their mass by the end of the century if global temperatures rise by 1.5 to 4°C. In Iceland, glaciers cover about 10% of the land area, but some of them have already disappeared or turned into "dead ice."

Deep Sky Research also noted that in September 2024, the extent of sea ice in the Arctic was 37% less than 40 years ago.