Reply #14: ***Update***Monster iceberg wreaks havoc in Antarctic

[indigobusiness]

Monster iceberg wreaks havoc in Antarctic

Last Updated Thu, 20 Jan 2005 14:22:34 EST
CBC News

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND - The world's largest iceberg seems to have run aground near Antarctica, threatening to block supply ships from scientific bases and starve tens of thousands of penguins.

Experts had predicted that B15A – which measures 3,000 square kilometres, about half the size of Prince Edward Island – would likely slam into a huge glacier floating near McMurdo Sound by last weekend.

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But the iceberg's progress toward the Drygalski Ice Tongue has slowed, leading scientists to speculate Thursday that it is hooked in shallow waters about five kilometres offshore.

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If the massive iceberg turns out to be grounded, it could cause serious problems for scientific bases on the continent, including three research bases at McMurdo Sound run by the United States, New Zealand and Italy. The monster iceberg – which measures 160 kilometres along one side – has already blocked water currents and winds that break up ice floes during the Antarctic summer, plugging the narrow stretch of sea.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/01/20/iceberg-050120.html