The world’s largest iceberg is likely stuck in a giant vortex of water. The conglomerate, known as A23a, has been spinning around itself in the Southern Ocean for months, satellite images show. The iceberg may not be able to escape the Taylor Column for years.
However, this also prevents the behemoth from reaching a warmer climate, carried along by ocean currents, and melting faster. “A23a is the iceberg that simply refuses to die,” the BBC quoted Open University polar expert Mark Brandon as saying.
Turns about 15 degrees daily
A23a broke away from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica in 1986, but remained attached to the seafloor for decades. After breaking away in 2000, it briefly made a spurt of sorts—and then settled back into place.
Near the South Orkney Islands, northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula, it rotates about 15 degrees counterclockwise every day, the British Antarctic Survey announced on Platform X. So A23a takes 24 days to complete one orbit.
4.5 times the size of Berlin
The iceberg is about 4,000 square kilometers in size, about 4.5 times the size of Berlin. Meanwhile, waves and weather have carved out enormous arches and cavernous depressions in the hulk, as photos from a ship owned by Eyos Expeditions in mid-January show.
According to the European Space Agency ESA, icebergs from the so-called Weddell sector usually reach the South Atlantic Ocean and melt away.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
