Two icebergs from Antarctica on collision course with British island

Two huge icebergs, one the size of Greater London and drifting for more than four years, could collide with South Georgia, a remote British island. They calved from Antarctica's ice shelves and have since travelled thousands of kilometres. The larger one, A81, separated from the Brunt Ice Shelf in January 2023 and contains over 1,340 square km of ice. The second one is D32, which broke away from the Amery Ice Shelf in October 2022 and spans 106 square km.

Both are now posing a threat to South Georgia. Images taken by the Copernicus satellites show that A81 and D32 are in the Scotia Sea, in the South Atlantic Ocean. The icebergs are at risk of grounding in the shallow waters surrounding the island. Once there, they could break up into several fragments, which could hit fishing boats and other vessels.

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When the icebergs broke apart from Antarctica ice shelves

Scientists have been keeping an eye on the icebergs ever since they calved from the ice shelves. Because of its massive size, A81 was being monitored even before it broke apart. A large crack developed across the entire ice shelf and was only 20km from the British–operated Halley Research Station. In 2016, the entire research station was shifted towards the inner regions to prevent it from collapsing into the sea.

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Now they are moving towards South Georgia, but experts say they might not be a hazard. Professor Grant Bigg from the University of Sheffield told the Daily Mail that icebergs passing South Georgia mostly go north or south of the island. Another expert added that the icebergs will most likely follow the strong current that flows along the continental shelf and pass around the island.

Why the much smaller pieces will be a bigger problem

The icebergs will become a danger after they break up. While ships can avoid the bigger pieces by tracking them on satellite, the primary threat will be posed by the much smaller bits, which will be hard to detect on radar.

Meanwhile, not a lot of vessels might fall on their way as most ships do not move away from the trans–South–Atlantic shipping lanes further north. There is only one krill fishery on South Georgia, which is located on the north side of the island.