Massive Iceberg A23a Grounds Near South Georgia, Threatening Wildlife

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The colossal Antarctic iceberg A23a, twice the size of Greater London and weighing nearly 1 trillion tonnes, has run aground 90 km from South Georgia Island after a 39-year journey.

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After remaining stuck in the Weddell Sea for over three decades, A23a began drifting northward in 2020 before becoming grounded on the continental shelf in waters 200-300 meters deep.

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Despite shrinking from its original 3,900 km² to an estimated 3,234 km², the 400-meter-thick ice mass has remained remarkably intact, though recent observations show accelerating decay.

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Where the massive iceberg scrapes the seabed, it causes immediate ecological disruption, potentially forcing macaroni penguins to take 800 km detours that could reduce chick survival rates by 40%.

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Scientists describe A23a as "dropping a nutrient bomb into an empty desert," with its melting releasing trapped iron that triggers phytoplankton blooms visible as a "green halo" in satellite imagery.

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BAS estimates suggest A23a-induced phytoplankton blooms could sequester approximately 2 million tonnes of CO₂—equivalent to removing 500,000 cars from the road for a year.

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The iceberg's presence poses challenges for commercial fisheries, with previous cases showing icebergs near South Georgia caused a 30% decline in Patagonian toothfish catches.

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Scientists deployed robotic ocean gliders to measure A23a's sub-ice melt rates (approximately 0.5 meters/day) and study how "megabergs" influence ocean circulation, chemistry, and ecosystems.

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While icebergs like A23a occur naturally, their calving now happens three times faster than pre-industrial rates, coinciding with measured warming of circumpolar deep water eroding ice shelves.

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After emerging from the Weddell Sea in 2023, A23a accelerated to approximately 50 km/day, making it one of the fastest-moving icebergs on record before its recent grounding.

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