World's largest iceberg weighing more than a trillion tons is breaking apart
The world's largest iceberg, weighing more than a trillion tons, seems to be falling apart. As satellite images show, a huge piece has already broken off.
The jagged fragment has an area of about 80 square kilometers - only a small part of the approximately 3,360 square kilometers that remain. However, according to oceanographer Andrew Meijers of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), this is definitely the first significant clear piece of the iceberg, and it is now difficult to say whether it will start to fall apart very quickly or hold on for a while, MailOnline writes.
World's largest iceberg weighing more than a trillion tons is breaking apart.
According to experts, in the past, other mega-icebergs fell apart within a few weeks after the first loss of their pieces. Therefore, scientists cannot say for sure what will happen to the A23a iceberg.
The A23a iceberg is the largest surviving fragment of another iceberg that broke off the Filchner Ice Shelf in Antarctica in August 1986. It had traveled only a few hundred kilometers when it got stuck on the ocean floor and became immobile for the next 30 years.
It was only in 2020 that A23a finally managed to "break free" and began moving north, although from time to time its journey was delayed by oceanic forces that forced it to rotate in place.
Currently, the "megaberg," as BAS calls it, is moving north toward South Georgia at a speed of approximately 50 kilometers per day.
Other mega-icebergs fell apart within weeks, after the first loss of their pieces
Experts are concerned that it could kill wildlife, such as penguins and seals, when it reaches South Georgia, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean, so they continue to keep an eye on it to see if A23a will break before it hits South Georgia, an important feeding ground for seals and penguins.
The iceberg is moving north toward South Georgia
As reported earlier, there is a possibility that this huge iceberg could fatally disrupt the feeding regime of wildlife, for example, if it "parks" in an area where food is usually obtained.
Scientists explain that if it breaks further, it will become a much smaller threat to wildlife, as animals looking for food will be able to maneuver between smaller pieces.
Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!
Subscribe
Subscribe
