A glacier weighing about a trillion tons and twice the size of Greater London has run aground off the remote British territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic.
The immense ice mass, designated A23a, had been predicted to possibly reach the island where large colonies of seals and penguins live, potentially cutting them off from food sources.
However, now that it has run aground in shallow water about 50 miles from the island, experts say it may, as tides and waves breaks it up over time, it may release large amounts of trapped nutrients into the area, possibly aiding the colonies.
A23a originally calved from the Antarctic continental shelf in 1983, but then spent over 30 years stuck on nearby seabed until it dislodged in 2020 and began drifting north. For most of 2024 it circled in an ocean vortex, but late last year it began its journey to South Georgia.
