A team of Ukrainian researchers was on their way to the Antarctic station when they were “surprised by something.” The scientists assume that they have seen with their own eyes the particles of a real ice giant.
Details and photos from the scene were shared by the press service of the National Antarctic Science Center.
On the night of December 6, the Ukrainian research icebreaker Noosphere reached King George Island in the Antarctic, where the Polish Antarctic station Arttovsky is located.
“The ship’s journey from Cape Town to King George was 4125 miles (6638 km) and took 19 days. “The Noosphere encountered storms, but the experienced team of navigators under the leadership of Captain Alexander Grishko skillfully avoided them. Even the storms in the most violent Drake Passage were successfully avoided,” the press service reported.
However, the Ukrainian team was “somewhat surprised.”
“We saw the icebergs much earlier than in previous years, as early as 58 degrees latitude,” said the captain.
The research center suggested that the researchers had seen chips in the A23a iceberg, which is considered the world’s largest. Its area reaches four thousand square kilometers, and in November it passed the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The press service reminded that the Noosphere icebreaker set sail for Antarctica on November 17.
“This is its third Antarctic season under the blue and yellow flag. Like last year, this year’s Noosphere expedition is a joint Ukrainian-Polish one, partially funded by the Polish Antarctic Program,” the research center explained.
As a reminder, the A123a iceberg broke away from the Antarctic coastline back in August 1986. It is comparable in size to an entire city. In the fall of 2023, it began to move, and scientists predict that it will eventually end up in the southern Atlantic Ocean and melt.
Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey were able to film the ice giant. It was reported that the iceberg was steadily moving into the Southern Ocean after three decades of dormancy.
