World’s largest iceberg… “moving fast, averaging 5 kilometers per day.” Where are headed?
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The world’s largest iceberg, situated in Antarctica, has been moving rapidly in recent months.
According to the American news agency AP on the 26th (local time), this iceberg, known as ‘A23a’, broke off from the Antarctic coast in 1986 and has been lodged on the seafloor of the Weddell Sea for about 37 years.
The iceberg covers an area of approximately 1,544 square miles, which is about six times the size of Seoul. Its thickness is about 1,312 feet, about 328 feet taller than the Eiffel Tower.
The iceberg began to slowly melt and started moving slightly since 2020.
However, it has started to move rapidly in recent months and is currently accelerating towards South America. A23a is estimated to be moving at an average of about 3.1 miles per day in this direction.
Andrew Fleming of the British Antarctic Survey explained in an interview with the British BBC, “The iceberg has been drifting in the Antarctic Sea for the past year and is now believed to be passing the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula due to the influence of wind and ocean currents.”
He continued, “I asked some colleagues if this movement was due to changes in sea temperature, but the conclusion was that it’s just time.” The BBC reported that the movement of A23a shows that no matter their size, all icebergs will eventually melt and drift away.
Experts are concerned that if the iceberg settles near South Georgia Island in southern Argentina, home to millions of seals, penguins, and seabirds, it could harm the local wildlife.
However, experts say that icebergs are not necessarily harmful to the surrounding ecosystem.
The mineral dust contained in the iceberg becomes food for the base of the marine food chain as it melts into the sea.
Dr. Catherine Walker of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said, “In many ways, icebergs are life-giving entities. They are the origin of much biological activity.”
Scientists are currently closely tracking the movement path of A23a.
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