Antarctic 'Megaberg' Released 152 Billion Tons of Freshwater Just Before Melting

New research shows how much freshwater is released into the ocean during the late melting process of the A68a megaberg.

Satellite monitoring systems show that for three months at the end of the iceberg's lifetime, it released an astonishing 152 billion tons of freshwater around the remote island of South Georgia.

There are concerns about how this sudden injection of freshwater and the nutrients flowing off the iceberg could affect the marine habitats around the island.

"This is a huge amount of meltwater, and the next thing we want to learn is whether it had a positive or negative impact on the environment around South Georgia," says Anne Braakmann-Folgmann, a glaciologist from the University of Leeds in the UK.

Five satellites were used to keep an eye on the position, area, thickness, and volume change of A68a. At its peak, the ice was melting at a rate of 23 feet per month.

Damage to the seafloor can be caused by damaging plow marks on the ocean. It looks like A68a broke up early enough to avoid being sucked into the ocean, but the sheer amount of freshwater released could still be a problem.

South Georgia is home to millions of penguins, seals, and other marine animals. Researchers are still interested in the impact of A68a after it disappeared.

"Because A68A took a common route across the Drake Passage, we hope to learn more about how they influence the polar oceans," says Braakmann-Folgmann.

A68a traveled for three-and-a-half years and covered a distance of 4,000 kilometers before melting away. Over time, there were some smaller, 'child' icebergs that broke off.

At the beginning of its trip, A68a was the sixth- largest iceberg ever recorded on satellite, with a surface area of 5,719 square kilometers. The size of the ice shelf was reduced when it was carved away.

Scientists now have a better idea of how other icebergs might behave in the future, because we've seen them battered by winds and waves, and they have 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465 888-282-0465.

Laura Gerrish is a specialist in mapping and geographic information systems from the British Antarctic Survey.

We were able to follow every move and break-up of the berg as it moved northward through the alley and into the Scotia Sea, where it gained speed and approached the island of South Georgia very closely.

The research has been published.