The Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica calved the A81 iceberg in late January, which is as large as Greater London. Recently, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) shared the first aerial photographs of the colossal iceberg.
As the summer team of the BAS Halley Research Station departed from the vicinity, they witnessed the start of the iceberg's journey into the Weddell Sea. The photographs display the iceberg's dynamic nature and its association with smaller icebergs that also broke away from the ice shelf.
The Giant A81
Following its detachment from the ice shelf, the iceberg has rotated and is currently moving southwards. Experts predict that A81 will move towards the west, influenced by the powerful Antarctic Coastal Current, much like previous icebergs.
"This was a calving we knew was coming. BAS has been monitoring the Brunt Ice Shelf and the chasms formed across it for over a decade. Since glaciologists first observed Chasm-1 widening in 2012, BAS science and operations teams have been anticipating the calving event," Giacologist Dr. Oliver Marsh said in a press release statement.
"High precision GPS instruments as well as satellite data have been used to monitor widening of the chasm and in 2016 BAS took the precaution of moving the Halley Research Station inland to protect it."
The BAS scientists and the wider community will continue to observe and monitor A81's progress as it travels through the Weddell Sea and further north towards the South Atlantic basin.
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Twice the Size of Greater London
A huge iceberg, A76A, is also currently heading towards South Georgia after breaking from the A76 iceberg that separated from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in May 2021.
At 135km long and 25km wide, A76A is the largest floating iceberg globally, twice the size of Greater London. As the iceberg approaches the shallow waters near South Georgia, there is a risk to the local wildlife and nearby Shag Rocks.
BAS said that grounding on the shallow seabed could destroy fauna across the seafloor, disrupting the ocean currents and foraging routes of the local wildlife.
The BAS scientists onboard the RRS Discovery, operated by the National Oceanography Centre, circumnavigated A76A in January, sampling the waters around the iceberg to assess its potential impact on the environment.
While icebergs around South Georgia are not rare, they pose a significant risk to local vessels and have the potential to cause considerable damage.
In 2021, the A68A iceberg approached South Georgia, causing concern that it could become grounded in the area. However, as it approached the island, it rapidly melted and broke into smaller fragments that were carried away by the currents.
Nonetheless, the melting released 152 billion tonnes of freshwater, which impacted the local wildlife considerably, as it is equivalent to 20 times the volume of Loch Ness.
As A76A continues its journey, its potential impact on the environment and local vessels is being closely monitored by experts. The consequences of any grounding could have significant long-term consequences for the region's wildlife and ecosystem.
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