According to a research organisation on Tuesday, the largest iceberg in the world appeared to have driven aground about 70 kilometres from a remote Antarctic island, possibly avoiding damage to the vital animal refuge.
More than twice the size of Greater London and weighing close to one trillion tonnes, the enormous iceberg A23a has been moving northward from Antarctica towards the island of South Georgia since 2020.
This had sparked concerns that it would crash into the island or run aground in the shallower water close by, which might interfere with penguins’ and seals’ capacity to feed their young.
But according to a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) statement, the massive wall of ice has been trapped 73 kilometres (45 miles) from the island since March 1.
BAS oceanographer Andrew Meijers stated, “We don’t expect it to significantly affect the local wildlife if the iceberg stays grounded.”
After meeting A23a in late 2023, Meijers has been monitoring its fate via satellite ever since. “In the last few decades, the many icebergs that end up taking this route through the Southern Ocean soon break up, disperse and melt,” he continued.
According to AFP’s analysis of satellite pictures, in late February, the iceberg’s nearest edge had halted over 70 kilometres away from the island.
Whether the iceberg is permanently stranded is still unknown.
Meijers went on, “It will be interesting to see what will happen now.”
In 1986, the largest and oldest iceberg in the world broke off from the Antarctic shelf.
Before eventually escaping in 2020, it had been stranded for more than 30 years. Ocean forces kept it spinning in place, occasionally delaying its plodding march north.
Previously, satellite images had shown that it was not breaking up into smaller pieces along the usual route that these icebergs follow. In January, however, a 19-kilometre section broke off.
There had been worries for the animals on South Georgia’s vital breeding area in case the iceberg parked too close.
