The world’s largest iceberg, A23a, has run aground approximately 70 kilometers from South Georgia island, potentially protecting local wildlife. This iceberg, over twice the size of Greater London, has been drifting since 2020, raising concerns about its impact on penguins and seals. However, British Antarctic Survey oceanographer Andrew Meijers notes that if it remains grounded, it shouldn’t significantly affect wildlife. The iceberg could even enhance the ecosystem’s nutrient availability. While large icebergs are part of the Antarctic’s natural cycle, climate change is accelerating ice loss, raising concerns about long-term impacts, such as rising sea levels.
Paris:
The largest iceberg in the world has seemingly grounded itself approximately 70 kilometres away from a secluded Antarctic island, potentially safeguarding the vital wildlife refuge from an impact, a research organization reported on Tuesday.
The enormous iceberg A23a — which is over twice the size of Greater London and weighs close to one trillion tonnes — has been drifting northward from Antarctica towards South Georgia island since 2020.
This situation raised concerns about the possibility of a collision with the island or becoming stuck in shallower waters nearby, which could interfere with the feeding patterns of penguins and seals raising their young.
However, this immense ice mass has been stationary 73 kilometres (45 miles) from the island since March 1, as noted in a statement from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
“If the iceberg remains grounded, we don’t anticipate a significant impact on the local wildlife,” stated BAS oceanographer Andrew Meijers.
“In recent decades, many icebergs following this route through the Southern Ocean tend to break apart, disperse, and melt,” Meijers, who encountered A23a in late 2023 and has been monitoring its status via satellite, added.
Satellite imagery analyzed by AFP confirmed that the nearest edge of the iceberg, which spans approximately 3,300 square kilometers, was over 70 kilometres from the island in late February.
It remains uncertain if the iceberg is firmly stuck.
“It will be fascinating to observe what happens next,” Meijers added.
Upside for wildlife?
The largest and oldest iceberg on record broke away from the Antarctic shelf in 1986.
It remained trapped for more than 30 years before finally breaking free in 2020, with its slow journey northward sometimes delayed by oceanic forces that kept it rotating in place.
Previous satellite data suggested it wasn’t breaking down into smaller segments along the typical path of such icebergs. However, a 19-kilometre piece separated in January.
Concerns had been raised for wildlife on the essential breeding grounds of South Georgia if the iceberg settled too close.
This scenario would compel animals like penguins and seals to navigate much farther around the massive ice block.
“This could decrease the food availability for pups and chicks on the island, consequently increasing mortality rates,” Meijers explained.
Nevertheless, in its current position, the iceberg may actually benefit wildlife.
“Nutrients stirred up by the grounding of the iceberg and from its melting could enhance food availability for the entire regional ecosystem, benefiting the iconic penguins and seals,” Meijers noted.
Along with the nearby South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia is home to about five million seals and 65 million breeding birds across 30 different species.
The seals and penguins on the island have already experienced a “challenging season” due to a bird flu outbreak, Meijers informed AFP in January.
What about climate change?
The iceberg does not pose a threat to shipping traffic. Its massive size allows vessels to navigate around it without issue.
However, as it fragments into smaller pieces, certain areas might become inaccessible for commercial fishing vessels “due to the presence of smaller — yet often more perilous — ice fragments,” Meijers cautioned.
There is no permanent human population on South Georgia, which is administered by the UK as a British overseas territory.
Argentina also claims the island, along with the nearby Falklands to the west, which it refers to as Las Malvinas.
Icebergs of this magnitude are uncommon but not unprecedented. Meijers noted that two similarly sized icebergs have been observed in the same region over the past five years.
Such massive icebergs are a “completely normal component of the lifecycle” of Antarctic ice sheets, Meijers emphasized.
However, ice shelves have lost 6,000 billion tonnes of mass since 2000, a decline that aligns with increasing ice loss tied to climate change, he remarked.
Researchers issued a warning last month that a rise in the global average temperature to between 1.5 and 2.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels could melt enough ice to raise sea levels by up to twelve metres — possibly reaching a point of no return.
Last year — which shattered previous heat records as the world faced numerous fires, floods, and storms — was the first full year to exceed 1.5C.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)