The huge iceberg A23A broke away from its position last month. Now it is operating north – towards the distant southern Georgia, an inaccessible area with a few small islands far out in the South Atlantic.
The iceberg is twice as large as Great London, and is about 40 meters high.
Game of Thrones Mall
Oceanographer Andew Meijer inspected A23A up close in December 2023 when it passed the research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough.
“It’s a huge wall, a Game of Thrones style wall that tower over the ship,” says Meijer, who works at British Antarctic Survey to Sky.
Within two to four weeks, A23A is expected to arrive at the islands in Sydgeorigen, a British territory since 1775.
Blocking food paths for the animals
Once in front, the iceberg risks blocking important paths for millions of penguins, and even seals, finding food for themselves and their chickens. If the iceberg gets stuck in shallow water, it can force the animals to swim longer to find food, which threatens their survival.
The penguins then risk burning more energy and returning with less food to their kids, which “can increase mortality”, according to Oceanographer Andrew Meijer.
No risk of total population
According to Andrew Meijer, South Georgia is an ecologically rich island.
– It is a breeding ground for millions of penguins and seals, he says.
Although the A23A is currently a threat to the Ping wine colony at South Georgia, the iceberg does not pose a greater risk to the total penguin population, according to researchers.