One Trillion Ton Iceberg on Crash Course for Small Island
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the main event.
In this corner, weighing in at 1,000,000,000,000 tons, undefeated as the world’s largest iceberg, currently spinning wildly in the Southern Ocean, poised to demolish anything in its path, A23a!
And, in this corner, with a mass of 1,507 square miles, a rugged sovereign state of the United Kingdom, and home to a diverse population of marine mammals and birds, South Georgia Island!
Boxers ready? Fight! Ding, ding.
That’s the scenario unfolding in the South Pacific currently, as the aforementioned A23a is inching towards the remote island of South Georgia. It’s a collision that could be massive, catastrophic…if it happens. But before this potentially disastrous situation, how did we get here?
As we previously reported, Scientists with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) announced:
“The world’s largest and oldest iceberg A23a is on the move. After decades of being grounded on the seafloor and more recently spinning on the spot, the mega-iceberg has broken free from its position north of the South Orkney Islands and is now drifting in the Southern Ocean.”
Related: 1,000,000,000,000 Ton Iceberg Breaks Loose in Antarctica
Now, fueled by currents, A23a is on a crash course with South Georgia.
So, what happens if it does collide with the island?
According to Dr Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer with the prestigious British Antarctic Survey (BAS), per Earth.com: “The iceberg, at least in satellite images, appears to be maintaining its structure and has not yet broken up into smaller chunks, as previous ‘megabergs’ have done.
“It is presently in a meander of the current and not moving directly towards the island, but our understanding of the currents suggests that it is likely to again move towards the island soon.
“If this happens it could seriously impede access to feeding grounds for the wildlife – seals and penguins mostly – that breed on the island.”
Let’s get ready to rumble…but, also maybe, hopefully not.
Related: Watch: Iceberg Bursts from the Depths, Creates Potential Surfing Anomaly Wave