World's largest iceberg starts to move
The largest iceberg on earth is twice the size of the Saarland - and weighs almost a trillion tons. Decades ago, it settled on the seabed and has not moved since. Now it has started drifting again and is heading towards a group of islands.
According to scientists, the world's largest iceberg is moving again for the first time in three decades. Current satellite images show that the iceberg, known as A23a and weighing almost one trillion tons, is drifting relatively quickly past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, they said. This is supported by strong winds and currents.
The iceberg is around 4000 square kilometers in size, which is almost twice the size of the Saarland. It had largely not moved in the past decades after touching down on the seabed. According to researchers, it is unclear why the iceberg has now started to move.
"It probably just thinned out a bit over time and got some extra buoyancy so that it could lift off the seabed and be set in motion by the ocean currents," said expert Oliver Marsh from the British Antarctic Survey. A23a could run aground again off the South Georgian Islands in the South Atlantic.
Millions of seals, penguins and seabirds breed on the island and search for food in the surrounding waters. A23a could deny them this access. But it could also break into several small pieces. However, it is also possible that it could drift further towards South Africa and disrupt shipping traffic there, according to Marsh.
Source: www.ntv.de
