“The world’s largest iceberg has again set off on a journey from the shores of Antarctica. The trillion-ton iceberg A23a, which broke off from Antarctica in 1986, has resumed its movement in the Southern Ocean. Scientists track its path and study the impact on marine ecosystems.”, — write on: unn.ua
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The iceberg first broke off from the Filchner Ice Shelf in Antarctica in 1986, but then got stuck in the Weddell Sea for three decades.
After being stuck for a long time, a giant iceberg is now drifting in the Southern Ocean. Scientists and satellites track the iceberg’s movement to see how it might affect the ecosystems it interacts with.
A video has emerged showing views of the iceberg from ocean level and from satellites in space, showing how A23a pirouettes and then finally drifts.
The iceberg first broke off from the Filchner Ice Shelf in Antarctica in 1986, but then got stuck in the Weddell Sea for three decades. In 2020, it started moving north, but its journey stopped.
It’s exciting to see the A23a moving again after periods of being stuck
“For several months, the iceberg was locked in a Taylor plume, an oceanographic phenomenon where swirling water over a seamount holds objects in place. This dynamic kept A23a spinning in place, delaying its expected rapid northward drift,” it said. in BAS.
A23a was last observed at the end of 2023, when satellites detected the iceberg’s attempt to leave Antarctica. This iceberg can change the areas through which it moves.
We know that these giant icebergs can provide nutrients to the waters they pass through, creating thriving ecosystems in other, less productive areas. We do not know what influence specific icebergs, their scale and origin can have on this process,
The researchers took water samples in front of, behind and next to the iceberg to study its effect on the ecosystem. Now it floats freely.
Scientists expect the iceberg to head toward South Georgia Island, where warmer water is likely to cause the large iceberg to break up into smaller pieces.
We will remind
Since 2023, British scientists have been tracking two huge icebergs that have broken off from Antarctica and could interfere with shipping