Three times larger than New York: scientists reached the largest iceberg

A giant ice mountain that broke off from Antarctica has intrigued researchers

Scientists specializing in Antarctica are exploring the world’s largest iceberg, three times the size of New York City. Researchers took samples from a huge iceberg known as A23a, which broke off from Antarctica 40 years ago and has an area of ​​4,000 square meters. km.

Antarctic researchers were “incredibly lucky” to examine the world’s largest iceberg – about three times the size of New York – which broke away from the icy continent almost 40 years ago, writes The Guardian.

The huge iceberg, known as A23a, was once attached to an ice shelf in West Antarctica, south of Chile, but broke away in 1986. Since then, the iceberg has been stuck on the ocean floor in the Weddell Sea.

But last week the British Antarctic Survey used satellite imagery to confirm the iceberg was no longer stuck and was drifting into “iceberg alley” on its way to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia.

British scientists on the icebreaking research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough have now been able to personally inspect the iceberg and present the world with a drone image of it. The giant ice block covers an area of ​​about 4,000 square kilometers (1,500 square miles), more than twice the size of Greater London and almost twice the size of the Australian Capital Territory.

The research vessel passed A23a on a voyage south to investigate how Antarctic ecosystems influence ocean carbon and nutrient cycling.

Dr Andrew Meyers, the ship’s chief scientist, said the researchers were “incredibly fortunate that the iceberg’s exit route from the Weddell Sea lay directly across our planned path, and that we had the right crew on board to take advantage of this opportunity.”

“We were fortunate that navigation of A23a did not impact the tight timeline of our science mission, and it is amazing to see this huge iceberg in person – it extends as far as the eye can see,” said Meyers, who is also the scientific director of Polar Ocean Research.

Laura Taylor, a biogeochemist, was part of a team of scientists who took samples of seawater around the iceberg. Researchers hope these samples will help determine how the iceberg affects carbon levels in the water.

“We know that these giant icebergs can provide nutrients to the waters they pass through, creating thriving ecosystems in less productive areas,” Taylor said. “What we don’t know is how specific icebergs, their size and origin may influence this process.”

Ecosystems team leader Professor Geraint Tarling explains that icebergs breaking away from ice shelves is “part of the natural life cycle of glaciers”.

“Polar ecosystems play a critical role in regulating the balance of carbon and nutrients in the world’s oceans, and melting icebergs affect them in a variety of ways,” Tarling said. “The data collected will improve our understanding of these processes and their sensitivity to climate change.”