THE world’s biggest iceberg which is twice the size of Greater London has run aground after heading ominously toward a British island.
The titanic A23a iceberg left fishermen in fear – thinking they may even have to take matters into their own hands by breaking up vast chunks of ice themselves
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The trillion-tonne “megaberg” was headed towards South Georgia, the home of millions of penguins and seals, before it seemingly came to a halt.
Dr Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at British Antarctic Survey, said: “In the last few decades, the many icebergs that end up taking this route through the Southern Ocean soon break up, disperse and melt.
“Commercial fisheries have been disrupted in the past however, and as the berg breaks into smaller pieces, this might make fishing operations in the area both more difficult and potentially hazardous.
The mega-iceberg was a former chunk of Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf before it separated from it nearly 40 years ago – and is today the oldest iceberg in the world
It remained grounded on the Weddell Sea floor for over 30 years, and then started to break away from its position in 2020.
The colossal structure then mysteriously began spinning in the same location for months in 2024 before finally drifting towards South Georgia.
The remarkable spinning movements were thanks to a natural wonder known as a Taylor Column which trapped the “megaberg”.
It causes rotating waves of water above a seamount to snatch and contain any objects in its path and hold it in place.
This bizarre movement held on to A23a tight and only allowed it to spin around one place for months.
But the berg broke loose last year and started heading towards the islands before it ultimately stopped in its tracks.
Warmer waters, combined with the motion of waves, will lead the huge block of ice to break up into smaller icebergs and eventually melt before it reaches the island’s south-west coast.
Dr Meijers also explained the effects the iceberg could have on the environment around it.
He added: “From a scientific perspective we are keen to see how the iceberg will affect the local ecosystem.
“Nutrients stirred up by the grounding and from its melt may boost food availability for the whole regional ecosystem, including for charismatic penguins and seals.
“We have several ongoing studies looking at exactly how ‘megabergs’ influence the ocean circulation, its chemistry, and the ecosystems they support.”
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