World's Biggest Iceberg Moving Beyond Antarctic Waters

Facts

• The British Antarctic Survey reports that one of the biggest icebergs in the world is floating outside of Antarctic waters, after being anchored there for more than thirty years.¹
• In 1986, the iceberg known as A23a broke off from the Filchner Ice Shelf in the Antarctic. While traveling it became attached lodged into the seabed of the Weddell Sea and has lingered for many years, but it recently began drifting again.²
• Aided by strong winds and currents, the giant iceberg is now drifting quickly past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. 'Scientists will be closely monitoring its trajectory as it's uncommon to witness an iceberg of this size moving,' stated glaciologist Oliver Marsh of the British Antarctic Survey.³
• The iceberg is more than twice the size of Greater London (1.5K square miles) and nearly three times the size of New York City at over 4K square kilometers.⁴
• According to experts the iceberg most likely broke off due to the ice shelf's normal growth cycle. They also stated that Antarctica is losing massive amounts of ice daily due to warming temperatures associated with climate change. At its current pace, the A23a is moving five kilometers (three miles) per day.⁵
• Researchers predict the iceberg will melt into the surrounding waters as it drifts toward the South Atlantic. It's possible it will get stuck in Iceberg Alley, a channel near the South Georgia island, where A23a could cut off animals — including seal pups and penguin chicks — from accessing the ocean and, therefore, their food supplies.⁶

Sources: ¹The Guardian, ²Associated Press, ³Reuters, ⁴BBC News, ⁵CNN and ⁶Yahoo News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by TS2 Space. Such a massive iceberg as the A23a could pose extensive risks to human and animal species alike. Apart from becoming a potential challenge to the shipping lanes it might, as some have suggested, pose a calamity for the local wildlife in terms of access to food.
• Narrative B, as provided by New Scientist. The scientific community has been categorical — this iceberg does not pose a threat to people, and even though it may become an issue for wildlife, A23a's movement is part of cyclical environmental developments in the region so it is unlikely to go too far in disrupting feeding or reproduction cycles.

Predictions