World
Largest Iceberg Heading Toward South Georgia Island
- The iceberg broke off an Antarctic ice shelf almost 40 years ago and was stuck until 2023.
- Now it’s moving slowly toward South Georgia Island.
- Scientists say it could block critical paths to food for adult penguins trying to raise their young.
The largest iceberg in the world is headed toward an island with a massive population of penguins and seals, according to satellite tracking from NOAA.
The trillion-ton slab of ice that scientists call a “megaberg” broke off from the Antarctic’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986. Scientists catalogued it under the name A23a. It was stuck at sea for decades but confirmed to be moving again more than a year ago.
While it’s moving at less than 1 mph, experts say it could get stuck again soon. This time, an iceberg the size of Rhode Island could park itself near South Georgia Island.
“South Georgia is an amazingly ecologically rich island,” British Antarctic Survey physical oceanographer Andrew Meijers told The Associated Press. “It’s a breeding ground for a huge number of penguins, millions of penguins and seals. There’s lots of pups and chicks and they’re all still dependent on their parents.”
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This image provided by the Ministry of Defense shows the iceberg, known as A23a, on Nov. 25, 2024, off the coast of Antarctica.
(Cpl Tom Cann RAF/Crown Copyright 2024 via AP)
Meijers got a close-up look at the iceberg while on a research ship in 2023.
“The iceberg itself is colossal and it stretches from horizon to horizon,” he said. “It’s a huge wall, a Game of Thrones style wall of ice that towers above the ship. With some waves breaking against it and if you get a bit of sunshine coming through, it’s really dramatic.”
But if it stalls near South Georgia Island, it could block key pathways that penguins need to reach food. That would force the adults to swim farther and use more energy, resulting in less food brought back for babies.
Meijers said that could lead to higher mortality rates among the young penguins on the island.
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Calving happens naturally in icebergs, but in some cases it’s happening more often due to climate change.
“A recent study says that the calving of extremely large icebergs like A23a has not increased because of climate change,” weather.com senior meteorologist Chris Dolce said Monday. “But on the other hand, another study says the number of smaller calving events have become more frequent. These less headline-grabbing icebergs are a greater driver of the loss of ice in Antarctica.”
Weather.com staff writer Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.
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