The world’s largest and oldest iceberg, A23a, appears to have stranded about 70 kilometers from the remote island of South Georgia in the Southern Atlantic Ocean.
This may have prevented a disastrous collision that could have harmed the island’s rich wildlife, including penguins and seals, according to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
A23a broke off from Antarctica in 1986 but remained stuck on the seafloor for decades. In 2020, it started drifting again, and by December 2023, it was heading towards South Georgia. The iceberg weighs nearly a trillion tons and is twice the size of Greater London.
If the iceberg had reached the island, the melting ice could have disrupted local fish populations, making it harder for seal pups and penguin chicks to get food.
Its massive size could have blocked key pathways to feeding sites, forcing adult animals to take longer, more energy-consuming routes around it. This could reduce the amount of food they bring back to their young, increasing mortality rates.
“In the last few decades, the many icebergs that end up taking this route through the Southern Ocean soon break up, disperse and melt,” Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, said in a statement.
However, Meijers explained that its current position could benefit marine life. As the iceberg scrapes the ocean floor, it releases nutrients that help support the local ecosystem.
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