An iceberg that is so large it can be seen from space has led experts to issue a dire warning to the public.
The gigantic iceberg, referred to as A23a, is the largest glacial mass in the world and is currently drifting across the Antarctic Ocean. It is roughly equivalent in size to a Hawaiian island.
Standing taller than London’s iconic Shard building, which measures 310 meters, the iceberg is facing rapid deterioration. Scientists have observed the formation of pools of water on its surface, signaling accelerated melting.
The melting of A23a signals alarming changes in Antarctica, as these water pools indicate that the ice is melting more quickly than originally expected.
Currently, A23a spans an area of 1,400 square miles, comparable to the size of Los Angeles.
Since detaching from Antarctica in 1986, the iceberg has diminished, with significant portions breaking off and sinking into the ocean in recent months.
Researchers from the Australian National University, in their report published in Nature, have noted, “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.”
Professor Nerilie Abram, who led the study, cautioned that the collapse of A23a could have “catastrophic consequences for generations to come.”
She contributed to the study by saying, “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.”
The British Antarctic Survey team anticipates that A23a will reach the continental shelf of South Georgia within the next month. This region is half the size of the iceberg and is expected to be notably impacted, especially the penguin habitats on the island.
“An iceberg grounding close to South Georgia could result in them having to make large diversions to their feeding grounds and not getting back to their young in time,” stated Professor Geraint Tarling, the science leader of the ecosystems team at the British Antarctic Survey, in an interview with Oceanographic Magazine.
Dr. Andrew Meijers, a physical oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, elaborated on the reasons behind the iceberg’s collapse and its implications for the future.
He explained to the Daily Express US, “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.”
He further added, “It is presently in a meander of the current and not moving directly towards the island, but our understanding of the currents suggests that it is likely to again move towards the island soon. The current follows the shallow continental shelf around the island to the southeast.
“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.”