- A23a Comes to a Halt After Drifting for Years in the Southern Ocean.
- Giant Iceberg A23a Stops 90km from South Georgia’s Shore.
- Scientists Say A23a’s Grounding May Benefit Local Wildlife.
The largest iceberg in the world, A23a, has seemingly come aground after drifting since 2020 through the Southern Ocean off Antarctica. In a statement released Tuesday, the giant iceberg has grounded off the coast of South Georgia, a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean, reports CNN.
Iceberg Comes to a Halt After Years of Drifting
Weighing almost one trillion metric tonnes (1.1 trillion tons), A23a initially broke away from the Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986 and stayed stranded in the Weddell Sea for more than thirty years. It finally set off moving in 2020 but was briefly wedged in late 2024, rotating around an underwater volcano before it moved on.
Possible Effect on Wild Life in South Georgia
Scientists originally worried that A23a’s drift toward South Georgia would interfere with the access of feeding grounds for penguins and seals that breed on the island. But since the iceberg seems to be stuck roughly 90 kilometres (56 miles) offshore, those worries have passed.
Potential Impact on Wildlife in South Georgia
Scientists initially feared that A23a’s movement toward South Georgia could disrupt access to feeding grounds for seals and penguins that breed on the island. However, as the iceberg appears to be grounded about 90 kilometres (56 miles)from shore, those concerns have subsided. “If the iceberg stays grounded, we don’t expect it to significantly affect the local wildlife of South Georgia,” said Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at BAS.
Its presence may benefit the ecosystem. “Nutrients stirred up by the grounding and from its melt may boost food availability for the whole regional ecosystem, including for charismatic penguins and seals,” said Meijers.
Future Breakup and Potential Hazards
While A23a remains structurally intact for now, historical patterns suggest that large icebergs following this route often break up, disperse, and melt. “Now it’s grounded, it is even more likely to break up due to the increased stresses, but this is practically impossible to predict,” Meijers stated.
Large icebergs have drifted far north in the past. “Large bergs have made it a long way north before – one got within 1000km of Perth, Australia, once – but they all inevitably break up and melt quickly after,” he added.
When A23a eventually breaks apart, it will create smaller icebergs that pose risks to fishing and shipping operations. “Discussions with fishing operators suggest that past large bergs have made some regions more or less off limits for fishing operations for some time due to the number of smaller – yet often more dangerous – bergy bits,” said Meijers.
Iceberg Breakaway Not Attribute to Climate Change
A23a’s breakaway from the Filchner Ice Shelf was natural and a product of Antarctica’s ice sheet growth process and not anthropogenic climate change, scientists opine.
But global warming is speeding up the transformation process in Antarctica, posing potentially disastrous implications on sea level rise globally.
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Source: CNN
