The A-68A iceberg, which was once the largest in the world, has been broken into pieces, ending the environmental threat it posed to the South Georgia archipelago (South Atlantic), the Agency reported this week. European Space (ESA).
The iceberg's trajectory has been carefully tracked by the Copernicus satellite system since it separated from the Larsen ice shelf in Antarctica in 2017.
The proximity of the iceberg to the remote island of San Pedro, in the South Georgia archipelago, raised fears that it would anchor to the coast and affect the fragile ecosystem that develops around it, by scraping the seabed or spilling fresh water and cold in the surrounding ocean.
A 300-square-kilometer iceberg breaks off an Antarctic glacier
In December 2020, the iceberg changed direction, as currents from the ocean surface deflected it in a southeasterly direction, moving away from the island and losing a huge chunk of ice in the process.
The main iceberg A-68A, once the largest in the world, is now only about 60 kilometers long with a maximum width of 22 kilometers.
Experts indicate that the group of new icebergs "seems to be spreading" in several directions and that "they will probably move away from the island", ceasing to be a threat to the island's fauna.
