![]() The iceberg could also impact creatures on the ocean's floor, he added, many of which store carbon in their bodies and secure it in the seabed. "And if that's not there, then everything that depends on it can't thrive either.” In addition to preventing access to foraging paths to offshore food sources for penguins, seals and albatrosses, it could also disrupt conditions for marine algae at the base of the food chain, said Tarling. "This one has the potential to go right on the shore and really block those colonies from getting to their food sources and coming back to get the food back to their pups and chicks.” The iceberg has been at sea since calving from the Larsen C ice shelf in July 2017 Image: ESA According to ESA, the iceberg is only a few hundred meters thick. What is particularly concerning about this one is not only its size but its shallow shape, explained Tarling. Scientists had expected A68a to shatter after breaking off from the Larsen C ice shelf on the east coast of the Antarctic peninsula in summer 2017.Īccording to the European Space Agency (ESA), the icy giant has lost at least two large chunks during its long journey, prior to which it was roughly twice the size of Luxembourg.Īlthough A68a would be the biggest to hit the island, it would not be the first in the region named the "iceberg graveyard." In 2004, a smaller iceberg grounded a few kilometers from land. The waters around South Georgia are home to species such as the humpback (above) and the blue whale Image: picture alliance/ 'Iceberg graveyard' Two underwater robotic gliders will be used to get as close to the iceberg as possible to measure water temperature, salinity and plankton concentrations. South Georgia is also home to one of the largest numbers of albatrosses in the world. The waters around the island are home to recovering populations of humpback and blue whales. Scientists are due to set off for the region next month on the research ship RRS James Cook to assess the impact on local biodiversity. Enormous numbers that if they were not there anymore, there would be severe declines in quite a few species." "The island has globally significant populations of penguins and seals. ![]() "This is basically an area that's completely thriving with wildlife," Geraint Tarling, a professor with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), told DW. ![]() This has sparked concern over the impact of freshwater from the melting ice on local marine life. Measuring 158 kilometers long (98 miles) and 48 kilometers wide, A68a - as the iceberg is called - is believed to be the biggest currently in the southern ocean, and one of the largest on record.Īs the iceberg has moved closer to the island over the past weeks, aerial images have shown it breaking up. There is growing concern over a collosal iceberg on a collision course with the British territory of South Georgia, a largely uninhabited South Atlantic island of roughly the same size.
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