Could a giant iceberg really break off Greenland? Scientists check Tom Cruise’s new movie Digger
In the movie, a giant iceberg from Greenland floats into the sea, imperiling millions—but is that even possible?
A new Tom Cruise film, Digger, depicts a massive iceberg breaking off Greenland and threatening Europe with a tsunami. However, climate scientists say this dramatic plot point is highly unlikely. In the movie, the iceberg dubbed "Judy" measures 400 square miles, which is much larger than any known Greenland iceberg. The largest iceberg to break off Greenland's Petermann Glacier was only 29 square miles.
Even in Antarctica, icebergs breaking off ice shelves are common, but they rarely pose significant threats to humans on land. Instead, icebergs tend to melt as they enter warmer waters, away from the ice sheet. While icebergs can present hazards to shipping and coastal activities, they are usually not as catastrophic as depicted in the movie.
The film's exaggeration of climate change impacts is a deliberate choice to convey a broader message about human actions and their consequences. However, the scientists emphasize that ice sheets melt slowly over time, and the full impact of climate change may not be as urgent as portrayed in Digger.
Written by urgent.news from Scientific American's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
