Home Australia World’s largest iceberg is on a devastating COLLISION course with a remote British island – threatening thousands of local penguins and seals

World’s largest iceberg is on a devastating COLLISION course with a remote British island – threatening thousands of local penguins and seals

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The world's largest iceberg is on a devastating collision course with a remote British island, scientists have warned.

The world’s largest iceberg is on a devastating collision course with a remote British island, scientists have warned.

A23a is a “megaberg” that measured around 1,540 square miles at its peak, twice the size of Greater London.

The megaberge was recently freed from its position north of the South Orkney Islands and began floating in the Southern Ocean.

In recent weeks, large slabs have begun to break away from the megaberg, leaving a main section measuring around 1,351 square miles, about the size of Cornwall.

Now, it is just 173 miles from South Georgia, a British territory and wildlife haven home to thousands of penguins and seals.

Simon Wallace, captain of the South Georgia government ship Pharos, warned that the iceberg is dangerously close to running aground and breaking into pieces.

The worrying thing is that these pieces could remain for years, wreaking havoc on sailors and fishermen trying to navigate the waters.

talking to bbc newsMr Wallace said: ‘Icebergs are inherently dangerous. I would be extraordinarily happy if they just didn’t pass us by.’

The world’s largest iceberg is on a devastating collision course with a remote British island, scientists have warned.

It is now just 173 miles from South Georgia, a British territory and wildlife haven home to thousands of penguins and seals.

It is now just 173 miles from South Georgia, a British territory and wildlife haven home to thousands of penguins and seals.

The megaberge was recently freed from its position north of the South Orkney Islands and began floating in the Southern Ocean.

The megaberge was recently freed from its position north of the South Orkney Islands and began floating in the Southern Ocean.

The iceberg originally broke off from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986.

It then remained stranded on the seabed of the Weddell Sea, before beginning its slow journey north in 2020.

In February last year, the iceberg became trapped in a Taylor plume, a phenomenon in which rotating water on a seamount traps objects in place.

This kept A23a spinning in place, delaying its expected rapid northward drift.

However, in December, satellite images confirmed that the iceberg had broken free.

At the time, scientists called the news “exciting.”

“It’s exciting to see A23a moving again after periods of being stuck,” said Dr Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

“We are interested to see if it will follow the same route that other large icebergs that have calved off Antarctica have followed.”

The iceberg originally broke off from Antarctica's Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986. It then remained anchored to the seafloor of the Weddell Sea, before beginning its slow journey north in 2020.

The iceberg originally broke off from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986. It then remained anchored to the seafloor of the Weddell Sea, before beginning its slow journey north in 2020.

The A23a is a 'megaberg' that measured around 1,540 square miles at its peak, twice the size of Greater London.

The A23a is a ‘megaberg’ that measured around 1,540 square miles at its peak, twice the size of Greater London.

While each iceberg’s journey is unique, most follow the same general path, according to NASA.

“More than 90 percent of the icebergs around Antarctica enter the clockwise-flowing current of the Weddell Gyre off East Antarctica and eventually escape, shooting northward along the Peninsula. Antarctica and finally crossing the Drake Passage into warmer waters of the South Atlantic, an ocean route known as “iceberg alley,” the space agency explained.

However, new concerns have been raised about its proximity to South Georgia.

This small island is located in the southern Atlantic Ocean and is described as a “wildlife sanctuary.”

“It is a true ‘oasis’ in the stormy southern oceans and is home to incredible wildlife such as penguins, albatrosses, seals, whales and petrels,” explains the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands on its website.

This is not the first time there have been fears of an iceberg collision in South Georgia.

In 2017, an iceberg called A68a broke off from the Antarctic ice shelf, before spending three years traveling more than 10,000 miles to South Georgia.

Fortunately, the A68a eventually passed safely over the island, before splitting.

In February last year, the iceberg became trapped in a Taylor plume, a phenomenon in which rotating water above an undersea mountain traps objects in place.

In February last year, the iceberg became trapped in a Taylor plume, a phenomenon in which rotating water above an undersea mountain traps objects in place.

However, three years later, an iceberg named A76 nearly ran aground, leaving dangerous ice sheets surrounding South Georgia.

“Those pieces basically cover the island; we have to fight our way through it,” Captain Wallace said.

Scientists, sailors and fishermen are now closely reviewing satellite images to monitor A23a’s movements.

Speaking to MailOnline, Dr Meijers said: “The iceberg, at least in the satellite images, appears to maintain its structure and has not yet broken up into smaller pieces, as previous ‘megabergs’ have done.

“It is currently in a bend in the current and is not moving directly towards the island, but our understanding of the currents suggests it is likely to move towards the island again soon.

‘The current follows the shallow continental shelf surrounding the island towards the southeast, but the question is whether the iceberg will follow this current into the open South Atlantic or will rise to the shelf and become trapped for some time.

“If this happens, it could seriously impede access to feeding grounds for wildlife (mainly seals and penguins) that breed on the island.”

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