uniladtech homepage
  • News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
Weird reason why an iceberg bigger than London stays spinning in place in Atlantic ocean

Home> Science> News

Published 11:55 7 Aug 2024 GMT+1

Weird reason why an iceberg bigger than London stays spinning in place in Atlantic ocean

It's the size of Cornwall and has been stuck in place for months

Niamh Spence

Niamh Spence

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
Featured Image Credit: @EYOSExpeditions/X / Ian Strachan via Eyos Expeditions
Earth
Science
Climate change

Advert

Advert

Advert

For many of us, icebergs usually only conjure up images of the Titanic and smashing into the side of a ship.

Yet for one iceberg, its journey from the Antarctic into other parts of Earth has been halted.

Well not even just halted, but it's stuck spinning in the same spot and has been for months now.

An iceberg has been stuck in its journey from Antarctica. (Getty Stock Photo)
An iceberg has been stuck in its journey from Antarctica. (Getty Stock Photo)

Advert

The iceberg, known as A23a, should have been headed for the Southern Atlantic but hasn't quite made its full journey and ic currently in the same spot about 1 kilometre above the seabed.

Getting stuck in April, the iceberg which is the size of Cornwall is stuck and hasn't moved yet.

The iceberg, which first broke off in 1986 initially got caught in the Weddell seabed, remaining stuck for decades.

The spinning is thought to be caused by a scientific phenomenon called 'a Taylor Column', which can happen in water or air. This column can cause an obstruction and in this case, a 100-km bump on the ocean floor called Pirie Bank is what's caused the A23a to be unable to move.

The A23a is stuck spinning and has been for months. (@EYOSExpeditions/X / Ian Strachan via Eyos Expeditions)
The A23a is stuck spinning and has been for months. (@EYOSExpeditions/X / Ian Strachan via Eyos Expeditions)

The A23a is calculated to be moving anticlockwise by around 15 degrees a day, and whilst that might not sound like a lot of movement, the British Antarctic Survey have claimed it's "not to be sniffed at".

One person on Twitter was left feeling "deflated" after hearing how solw the iceberg is rotating, as they wrote: "I got excited when i heard the word 'spin' on the radio reports, then somewhat deflated when i read about the speed. I think I've seen too many movies!"

The British Antarctic Survey responded as it said: "To be fair it’s HUGE so 15° a day is not to be sniffed at."

At the beginning of this year, Andrew Fleming, Head of Mapping and GIS at British Antarctic Survey revealed the spinning iceberg isn't the only one to have done this.

He explained: "We’ll be interested to see if it also gets caught in the same place as the previous bergs, which span in circles for several weeks before moving on."

The iceberg is turning anticlockwise by around 15 degrees a day. (@EYOSExpeditions/X / Ian Strachan via Eyos Expeditions)
The iceberg is turning anticlockwise by around 15 degrees a day. (@EYOSExpeditions/X / Ian Strachan via Eyos Expeditions)

Whilst icebergs get a pretty bad rep (cheers Titantic), it's not all bad. A23a is expected to eventually break up, and its water will be full of nutrients that can help lots of marine life.

However icebergs breaking away and melting is still considered an ongoing environmental issue, and if they continue at pace then it could see sea levels rise quickly and potentially spell problems for us on land.

It's thought if Antarctic icebergs melt then the increased sea levels threaten to make large areas of the world uninhabitable.

Choose your content:

13 hours ago
17 hours ago
19 hours ago
  • Jim WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
    13 hours ago

    Major drugs classified as Schedule 1 as Trump reclassifies weed as less dangerous

    The decision was made by the Department of Justice last week

    Science
  • Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images via Getty
    17 hours ago

    FBI issues statement on string of mysterious deaths and disappearances of top US scientists

    Eleven scientists have recently died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances

    Science
  • LinkedIn
    19 hours ago

    NASA engineer found dead in burned Tesla after family feared he'd been abducted from his home

    At least 12 other people in similar fields have died or gone missing since 2022

    Science
  • MICROGEN IMAGES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty
    19 hours ago

    99% of human population was wiped out 900,000 years ago with 1,000 people repopulating the Earth, study says

    The Chinese study revealed that a mass extinction event caused a 'bottleneck' in humanity

    Science
  • Bizarre side effect of solar panels causes rainstorms in the driest place on Earth
  • The one sea on Earth that touches no land is hiding in the Atlantic Ocean
  • Researcher reveals controversial plan to detonate a nuclear bomb at the bottom of the ocean to save the world
  • World's largest iceberg turns blue in worrying move as NASA scientists issue sharp warning