How A Melting Iceberg Is Reshaping Marine Ecosystems
In July 2017, a massive iceberg named A-68 broke free from Antarctica's Larsen C Ice Shelf in an event known as “calving,” launching a four-year journey across the Southern Ocean. Covering an area of over 2,200 square miles (5,698 square kilometers) more than twice the size of Luxembourg A-68 became the world’s largest iceberg adrift, capturing attention as it drifted north.
As it traveled, A-68 encountered a critical breeding ground for threatened marine species near South Georgia Island, raising concerns. Geraint Tarling, a polar ecologist at the British Antarctic Survey, highlighted the rich marine ecosystem surrounding South Georgia, teeming with phytoplankton, krill, king penguins, and wandering albatrosses. Fortunately, A-68 narrowly avoided a direct collision with the island but ...
