Over the last two years, the world’s biggest iceberg has been on the move after more than 30 years being stuck to the ocean floor and experts are concerned with it falling apart
Experts have given an alarming update on an iceberg the size of a Hawaiian island which is now visible from space.
The colossal A23a – the world’s largest glacial mass – is currently floating across the Antarctic Ocean, and researchers now say of water can be seen sitting on the ice’s surface, causing Antarctica to melt faster than expected. The huge iceberg, which is taller than London’s Shard, has also seen its structure rapidly weaken.
“The potential for abrupt changes is far less understood in the Antarctic compared with the Arctic, but evidence is emerging for rapid, interacting and sometimes self-perpetuating changes in the Antarctic environment,” authors of the Australian National University wrote in a new Nature study report.
Study lead author Professor Nerilie Abram says a collapse would produce “catastrophic consequences for generations to come”. She said: “Rapid change has already been detected across Antarctica’s ice, oceans and ecosystems, and this is set to worsen with every fraction of a degree of global warming,”
A23a measures 1,400 square miles – approximately the size of Cornwall, or twice the size of London – although it has decreased in size significantly since it first broke free from Antarctica in 1986. Large chunks from the iceberg have also been breaking away, plunging into the ocean beneath for months.
Sea captain Simon Wallace, who is stationed on the vessel Pharos in South Georgia, said he was hoping the iceberg would miss the island or veer off course altogether. He told BBC News: “Icebergs are inherently dangerous. I would be extraordinarily happy if it just completely missed us.”
Should it collide, the huge mass of ice could threaten local wildlife by blocking their access to essential food sources. South Georgia is currently home to various species of penguin, seals and sea birds. It’s also an important spot for migrating whales.
Dr Andrew Meijers, Physical Oceanographer at British Antarctic Survey, explained to the Mirror why the iceberg is collapsing. He said: “The iceberg A23a is now moving with the prevailing current towards the island of South Georgia, after having been ‘trapped’ spinning around a submarine mountain for several months further south.
“The iceberg, at least in satellite images, appears to be maintaining its structure and has not yet broken up into smaller chunks, as previous ‘megabergs’ have done.
“It is presently in a meander of the current and not moving directly towards the island, but our understanding of the currents suggest that it is likely to again move towards the island soon. The current follows the shallow continental shelf around the island to the south east.
“But the question is whether the berg will follow this out into the open South Atlantic, or run up onto the shelf and become stuck for some time. If this happens it could seriously impede access to feeding grounds for the wildlife – seals and penguins mostly – that breed on the island.”