A23a on the wrong track World's largest iceberg runs aground north of Antarctica
Iceberg A23a broke off from the Antarctic mainland decades ago. Now researchers give an update on its position - and explain what could happen.
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- The world's largest iceberg has run aground north of Antarctica, according to researchers.
- The iceberg, known as A23a, had already broken away from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica in 1986, but remained trapped in circulating ocean currents for a long time.
- In December, however, the ice colossus began to move.
According to researchers, what is probably the largest iceberg in the world has run aground north of Antarctica. The iceberg came to a standstill and apparently ran aground near South Georgia, according to the British Antarctic Survey, a polar research institute.
Iceberg A23a had broken away from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in the Antarctic in 1986, but remained stuck to the seabed for years. After breaking free in 2000, it remained trapped in circulating ocean currents for a long time.
The iceberg is around 4,000 square kilometers in size, around 4.5 times the size of Berlin. In December, researchers announced that the ice colossus had started to move.
What could happen to the iceberg
In recent decades, icebergs that had traveled this route in the Southern Ocean soon broke up and melted, according to scientist Andrew Meijers. Fishing boats will find it more difficult to navigate if the iceberg breaks into smaller pieces.
"It will be interesting to see what happens now," said the researcher. It will be interesting for scientists to investigate how the iceberg affects the local ecosystem.
Theoretically, it is possible that the iceberg could get in the way of seals and penguins looking for food, explained Meijers. However, running aground and melting could also stir up nutrients, which could have a positive effect on the availability of food.
