The answer to your question is “What happens to the water after an iceberg melts?”
Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2020This is what happened to iceberg A68A in Antarctica, which broke from its shelf in Antarctica in 2017. It traveled as far as South Georgia at the end of 2021.
A new studyPublished inRemote Sensing of Environment Named Observing Disintegration of A68A Icebergs from Space,This article focuses on the potential damage caused by A68As melting.
At its largest, it was the largest iceberg in the world, measuring about half the size as Connecticut. But, according to the latest report, researchers now believe that the iceberg’s size has dropped to the same size as Rhode Island. The iceberg lost an estimated 544 cubic km in volume over a three-and-a half year period.
It was estimated that South Georgia lost 152 billion tonnes of fresh water during the three-month period in which the iceberg was breached.
Researchers called the influx water a disturbance that could have a profound effect on the islands marine habitat. However, the positive side of the massive melting was that it was not able damage the seafloor near South Georgia because it had melted too fast and only briefly.
This is a lot of melt water. We want to know if it had a positive impact on the ecosystem in South Georgia. Anne BraakmannFolgmann is a researcher at CPOM, and the study’s lead author. We hope to learn more about how icebergs follow a similar path across the Drake Passage.
Researches have shown that the ocean ecosystem, including wildlife, will feel the effects of large icebergs visiting. The cold water that melts from drifting icebergs affects the local ocean circulation and promotes biological production.
It is not yet clear what these effects will look like on the ecosystem.
A68 was a fascinating iceberg to track, Laura Gerrish, GIS specialist at BAS and coauthor of the article. Study found. We were able to track every movement and break-up of this berg, as it moved slowly northwards through the iceberg alley, into the Scotia Sea, where it gained speed and approached South Georgia.
