Current:Home > NewsCaught on camera! The world's biggest iceberg, a megaberg, 3 times size of New York City-LoTradeCoin
Caught on camera! The world's biggest iceberg, a megaberg, 3 times size of New York City
View Date:2024-12-24 07:40:38
It's so big, scientists are calling it a "megaberg."
The world's largest iceberg, with the unglamorous name of A23a, continues to move through the ocean near Antarctica, and British researchers last week got an up-close look.
The RRS Sir David Attenborough, which is on its way to Antarctica for its first scientific mission, passed the berg on Friday near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The iceberg – which is three times the size of New York City and more than twice the size of Greater London − had been grounded for more than three decades in the Weddell Sea before it came loose last week.
Megaberg on the move:Massive iceberg is 'on the move' near Antarctica after sitting still for decades
"It is incredibly lucky that the iceberg’s route out of the Weddell Sea sat directly across our planned path, and that we had the right team aboard to take advantage of this opportunity," said Andrew Meijers, chief scientist on the research ship, in a statement.
"We’re fortunate that navigating A23a hasn’t had an impact on the tight timings for our science mission, and it is amazing to see this huge berg in person – it stretches as far as the eye can see," he said.
A23a made worldwide news last week after it moved out of the Weddell Sea sector into the Southern Ocean. It calved from the Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986, before being grounded on the seabed nearby, the British Antarctic Survey said. A23a will now likely be swept along by the Antarctic circumpolar current into "iceberg alley," putting it on a common iceberg trajectory toward the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia.
Laura Taylor, a mission biogeochemist, explained the significance of the A23a samples: “We know that these giant icebergs can provide nutrients to the waters they pass through, creating thriving ecosystems in otherwise less productive areas. What we don’t know is what difference particular icebergs, their scale, and their origins can make to that process," she said.
"We took samples of ocean surface waters behind, immediately adjacent to, and ahead of the iceberg’s route. They should help us determine what life could form around A23a, and how this iceberg and others like it impact carbon in the ocean and its balance with the atmosphere,” Taylor said.
The RRS Sir David Attenborough, named after the British naturalist, is on a 10-day science trip that’s part of a project to investigate how Antarctic ecosystems and sea ice drive global ocean cycles of carbon and nutrients.
The British Antarctic Survey said its findings will help improve understanding of how climate change is affecting the Southern Ocean and the organisms that live there.
Contributing: The Associated Press
veryGood! (739)
Related
- Taylor Swift Politely Corrects Security’s Etiquette at Travis Kelce’s Chiefs Game
- Odd crime scene leads to conflicting theories about the shooting deaths of Pam and Helen Hargan
- Some bars are playing a major role in fighting monkeypox in the LGBTQ community
- JoJo Siwa Has a Sex Confession About Hooking Up After Child Stardom
- Bohannan requests a recount in Iowa’s close congressional race as GOP wins control of House
- Millions of Americans will soon be able to buy hearing aids without a prescription
- 5 Years After Sandy: Vulnerable Red Hook Is Booming, Right at the Water’s Edge
- Today’s Climate: May 4, 2010
- Steelers shoot for the moon ball, but will offense hold up or wilt in brutal final stretch?
- Chinese warship comes within 150 yards of U.S. missile destroyer in Taiwan Strait
Ranking
- Glen Powell Addresses Rumor He’ll Replace Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible Franchise
- Today’s Climate: May 19, 2010
- Trump-appointed federal judge rules Tennessee law restricting drag shows is unconstitutional
- Priyanka Chopra Recalls Experiencing “Deep” Depression After Botched Nose Surgery
- Fantasy football Week 11: Trade value chart and rest of season rankings
- States with the toughest abortion laws have the weakest maternal supports, data shows
- Olivia Wilde Reacts to Wearing Same Dress as Fellow Met Gala Attendee Margaret Zhang
- Vanderpump Rules' Explosive Teaser Shows Tom Sandoval & Raquel Leviss Together Again
Recommendation
-
Tesla Cybertruck modifications upgrade EV to a sci-fi police vehicle
-
Over-the-counter hearing aids will bring relief, but with some confusion
-
Warming Drives Unexpected Pulses of CO2 from Forest Soil
-
The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from a centenarian neighbor
-
Oregon's Dan Lanning, Indiana's Curt Cignetti pocket big bonuses after Week 11 wins
-
5 Years After Sandy: Vulnerable Red Hook Is Booming, Right at the Water’s Edge
-
Look Back on King Charles III's Road to the Throne
-
Today’s Climate: May 4, 2010