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On a journey of 40 years after breaking away from Antarctica, the world's largest iceberg sinks
2025-03-05 10:32:14 / MISTERE&KURIOZITETE
World's largest iceberg breaks off after nearly 40-year journey from Antarctica
The world's largest iceberg appears to have sunk approximately 70 km from a remote Antarctic island.
The colossal iceberg A23a, which was approximately 3,300 square km and weighed nearly 1 trillion tons, had been moving north from Antarctica towards Georgia Island since 2020, according to The Guardian.
This had raised fears that it could collide with the island or crash into shallow water near it, damaging the ability of penguins and seals to feed their young.
" It will be interesting to see what happens now, " said Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
" If the iceberg stays grounded, we don't expect it to significantly impact local wildlife ," Meijers said.
"In recent decades, many icebergs that end up taking this route through the Southern Ocean quickly break up and melt ," added Meijers, who encountered A23a in late 2023 and has been following its fate via satellite ever since.
The largest and oldest iceberg in the world broke off from Antarctica in 1986.
It remained stuck for more than 30 years before finally being freed in 2020, its journey delayed by ocean forces that kept it spinning in place.
Satellite images had previously suggested it was not breaking into smaller pieces along the usual path that such icebergs take. However, a 12-mile-long piece broke off in January.
There had been concerns about wildlife on the island's terrain if the iceberg got too close. This would force animals like penguins and seals to travel much further to get over the block of ice.
" This could reduce the amount of food that returns to the young and birds on the island, and thus increase mortality, " Meijers said.
However, in its current location, the iceberg could provide benefits to wildlife.
"Nutrients driven by iceberg grounding and melting could increase food availability for the entire regional ecosystem, including penguins and charismatic seals ," Meijers said.
Together with the nearby South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia is home to around 5 million seals and 65 million breeding birds from 30 different species.
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