2/03/25
Recently the largest glacier in the world bearing the designation A23A has moved again and is heading towards the remote island of South Georgia which is home to colonies of penguins and seals. Currently the glacier is located at a distance of 280 kilometers from the island.
Photo:Depositphotos
In the past, breakaway icebergs have killed countless seals and penguins in the bays of South Georgia Island by blocking their access to food. Scientists around the world are tracking satellite images to know the exact location of the Ice Queen.
Glacier A23A broke off from the Filchner Ice Shelf in Antarctica in 1986 but was stuck on the seabed for a long time and then in an ocean eddy. In December of last year he freed himself from the faith and is on his last journey.
Once it enters warmer waters, the glacier will melt but it currently measures over 400 meters in height. It once covered an area of 3,900 square kilometers but now it is approximately 3,500 square kilometers. Scientists believe that the glacier could break up into smaller pieces. This is not the first glacier to threaten South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands. Twenty years ago the A38 glacier landed on the continental shelf and caused the death of many birds and seals.
A team of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey on Sir David Attenborough's research vessel took samples from the glacier in 2023. The ship took a chance and sailed into the rift where it collected rare water samples. The samples are now being analyzed at a laboratory in Cambridge. Scientists are primarily investigating the impact of meltwater on the carbon cycle in the Southern Ocean.
The water in the glacier is full of nutrients and chemicals, tiny animals like phytoplankton and as the glacier melts it releases these elements into the water and changes the physics and chemistry of the ocean. This could store more carbon deep in the ocean naturally blocking some of the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change. Glaciers are notoriously unpredictable so no one knows for sure how the glacier's path will continue to develop.
Source:BBC
Fourteen photos of Madagascar the fourth largest island in the world that you can use as your desktop wallpaper. more
Preparations for the landfall of Tropical Cyclone Zelia are currently at their peak in Western Australia. There are... more
One of the world's most active volcanoes, Hawaii's Kilauea has erupted for the ninth time in a short time and is... more
A massive landslide hit the Chinese province of Sichuan, burying a dozen houses. At least 28 residents are still... more
Fourteen New Zealand themed photos to use as your desktop background. more
Greece has decided to declare a state of emergency on the island of Santorini after numerous ongoing tremors. This... more
January 2025 became the warmest January globally with an average surface air temperature of 13.23 degrees Celsius,... more
A week ago storm Éowyn swept through parts of England and Ireland causing power outages for a million customers. At... more
Since the beginning of the week western France has declared a high state of alert due to the heavy rains brought to... more
Fourteen photos of Common Sequoias that you can use as wallpaper. more