an XXL iceberg is heading straight for an island, threatening penguins and sea lions

Tracked by satellites, the largest iceberg in the world, kilometers longis currently drifting from Antarctica towards a remote island where it could, in the worst case, run aground and block the penguins and sea lions that breed there.

This immense ice plateau – 30 times larger than Paris – has been moving away from Antarctica for years and, propelled by currents, is potentially heading towards the British island of South Georgiaan important site for the reproduction of wildlife.

Where is he heading?

According to satellite images, this iceberg, unlike previous giant icebergs, does not seem to fragment into smaller pieces as it drifted, explained Friday to theAFP Andrew Meijers, océanographe au British Antarctic Survey.

According to the expert, it is difficult to accurately predict its trajectory, but the prevailing currents suggest that this colossus will reach the edge of the continental shelf, located in shallow waters, around South Georgia. within two to four weeks. What might happen next remains unclear.

The iceberg could avoid the continental shelf and be carried into the deep waters of the South Atlantic, beyond South Georgia, a British Overseas Territory located about 1,400 km east of the islands Falklands.

But it could also hit the inclined bottom, get stuck for monthsor even break into several pieces.

A danger for sea lions and penguins

The ice walls could then prevent sea lions and penguins from accessing the ocean to feed themselves as well as their young on the ground, explains Andrew Meijers. “It would be quite dramaticbut not unprecedented,” says the expert.

Icebergs have run aground here in the past, causing significant mortality among penguin chicks and young sea lions.

But for some experts, like Raul Cordero of the University of Santiago, “the chances of collision are not very high”, of the order of “less than 50%”, the island having a tendency to deflect the water and ocean currents which, in turn, could deflect the iceberg.

“Pieces” could perhaps hit the island “but the iceberg as a whole, that would be astonishing,” judges this member of the National Antarctic Research Committee.

A “huge white cliff”

Spanning approximately 3,500 square kilometersthe iceberg called A23a is also the oldest in the world. It broke away from the Antarctic ice shelf in 1986.

It then remained stuck on the seafloor for more than 30 years before breaking free in 2020, beginning its slow drift northward. It remained several months in 2024 in the same place, rotating on itself.

Andrew Meijers, who observed A23a up close in late 2023, describes it as “a huge white cliff, 40 to 50 meters highwhich extends as far as the eye can see.

It's like a gigantic white wall reminiscent of Game of Thrones, it feels like it's endless.

Weighing almost 1,000 billion tonsthe gigantic block of fresh water is driven by the world's most powerful ocean current, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, at 20 centimeters per second, according to the British Antarctic Survey.

What role does climate change play?

When A23a or its fragments eventually melt, they could leave behind smaller pieces of ice, but still dangerouscomplicating navigation for fishermen.

However, it will also bring nutrients in waterpromoting phytoplankton, an essential food source for whales and other marine species. The melting will also help scientists better understand how these phytoplankton blooms absorb CO2 from the atmosphere.

Although the formation of icebergs is a natural phenomenon, Andrew Meijers believes that their accelerated loss in Antarctica is likely due to human-caused climate change.

With AFP.

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