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Massive Iceberg Continues Losing Mass as it Swirls Around South Georgia
Island

Reuters

   A massive Antarctic iceberg that last month threatened a
   penguin-populated island off the southern tip of South America has
   since lost much of its mass and broken into pieces, scientists say.

   The main ice mass, called A68a, and its "child bergs" are still on the
   move, swirling in waters near South Georgia Island, said scientist Ted
   Scambos at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

   Scambos and other scientists have been tracking the iceberg -- one of
   the largest-ever recorded -- since it broke off from Antarctic's Larsen
   C ice shelf in July 2017 and drifted north through a region known as
   "iceberg alley."

   In the last month, the main berg shed about a third of its size, or
   more than 1,400 square kilometers (541 square miles), in smaller pieces
   and ice melt. On Tuesday, the main iceberg covered about 2,450 square
   kilometers (946 square miles).

   The edges of A68a have "curled up like a dinner plate," causing pieces
   to break off from its sides as it moves through warmer currents,
   Scambos said.

   The iceberg could block penguins from foraging grounds if it lodges off
   the island's coast, or it could grind over the seabed and significantly
   damage marine life.

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