Gigantic A68a Iceberg, the World's Largest, Shatters Into 13 Huge Chunks

The iceberg that was once as large as the five boroughs of New York has shattered like glass.

According to reports by the U.S. National Ice Center, the world's largest iceberg, A68a, has broken off into 13 huge chunks. This brings the colossal object closer to its total destruction bringing a sigh of relief to thousands of local penguins.

A68a Iceberg

The iceberg originated from the Antarctic--in the Larsen C Ice Shelf, according to BBC.

The world's largest iceberg has been drifting steadily north since July 2017. Initially measured at roughly 2,300 square miles--it is large enough to hold the five boroughs of New York City roughly 5 times over. The thin iceberg has been losing chunks since April 2020.

Last week, the gigantic iceberg split down the middle as it drifted through the warmer British overseas territory of South Georgia Island. Now, both sides are cracking at the seams.

According to the USNIC, 13 chunks have cracked off from A68a, with seven new chunks appearing in the past few days. While the crack-ups are a sign of the icebergs impending doom, it brings good news to the people of South Georgia Island.

November 2020, scientists monitoring the A68a's path feared that its trajectory would lead it to smash into the seafloor near South Georgia which may crush the local seal, whale, and penguin populations.

In an interview with the Observer, experts explained their concern about the iceberg's cooling effects on South Georgian waters that may cause adverse effects on the oceanic food chain.

January 2021, A68a followed currents surrounding the South Georgia Islands, removing the most immediate dangers to local wildlife. With the recent disintegrations, the threat of collision is very unlikely.

At the current rate of disintegration, British researchers that initially planned to investigate the iceberg might not have much time. Researchers planned to use underwater robots that would be submersible was slated to spend 4 hours underwater to collect data on salinity, seawater temperature, and water clarify on opposite sides of the iceberg.

Pierre Markuse, a remote sensing expert explains that it's hard to tell when A68a will break free. The smallest of the initial break-offs is currently stationary 60 kilometers south of the South Georgia Islands.

He says, "You can see that A68a is lately following the SACCF, picking up speed. It is rotating counterclockwise and slightly moving west again."

A68a's current position is in coherence with researchers' predictions. Despite its seemingly close demise, scientists will continue to closely monitor the movement of A68a and its smaller chunks that may still ground in the shallow continental shelves around South Georgia, much like what previous icebergs have done.

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