Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
USA, Jan 25. - The largest iceberg in the world maintains its movement and could head north from Antarctica to the British overseas territory, in the southern Atlantic Ocean, South Georgia.
According to Andrew Meijers, a physical oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, the iceberg is currently in a bend in the current and is not moving directly towards the island; but our knowledge of the currents suggests it is likely to move towards the island again soon.
The iceberg's surface area is 3,672 square kilometers according to measurements in August, slightly larger than Rhode Island and more than twice the size of London.
The A23a has been carefully tracked by scientists since it broke off from the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in 1986.
According to estimates by scientific monitoring centers, it remained at the bottom of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica for more than 30 years, probably until it shrank enough to release the sea floor.
After that process, the iceberg was dragged by ocean currents before being caught again in a whirlpool of water caused by ocean currents crashing against an underwater mountain.
Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey explained that it was released last December and they expected it to continue drifting along ocean currents and towards warmer waters, so they expect the iceberg will probably break up, melting when it reaches the remote island of South Georgia. (Text and Photo: Cubasí)
