The world’s largest iceberg sails in the South Atlantic Ocean

2024-12-16 17:16:00

Iceberg A23a, considered the largest in the world, started to move towards the South Atlantic Ocean, sAccording to scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) through satellite images.

It should be noted that the A23a is already impressive for its size It measures 400 meters thick, weighs almost 1,000 million tons and occupies an area of ​​3,6720 square kilometers – 200 times the surface area of ​​the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, making it a gigantic floating behemoth in serious danger of disappearing, since researchers believe that, Once it reaches the warm waters, the iceberg will begin to fragment and meltthus releasing large volumes of fresh water to the ocean, which can alter the marine ecosystems and influence water circulation patterns.

Iceberg A23a: a frozen giant adrift

This iceberg is not new since then The first landslide occurred in 1986when he separated from Antarctic Filchner Ice Shelf. At that point, it broke into three partsone of whom was baptized with this name A23a and, since then, remained anchored, Until the currents managed to free himwhich aroused the great interest of the entire global scientific community.

“The movement of the A23a is a significant phenomenon why icebergs of this size transport nutrientswhich, once dissolved, enrich the marine ecosystem. However, its process disintegration can generate local changes in temperatures Yes water salinity, affecting marine species dependent on stable conditions”, explained Andrew Meijer, one of the BAS experts.

Now, scientists will continue monitoring the reconnaissanceTake the A23a with the aim of analyzing both the path it can follow and, fundamentally, the short and long-term effects. “We are interested to see whether it will follow the same path as other large icebergs that have broken off off Antarctica. And, more importantly, what impact this will have on the local ecosystem,” – concluded the specialist.