Large Antarctic iceberg drifting north toward Australia
The iceberg is seen from shore, where an elephant seal rests.
(Eve Merfield/associated Press)
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Large Antarctic iceberg drifting north
-- In what scientists are calling a once-in-a-century event, an iceberg about the size of Washington, D.C., is drifting toward Australia. It will probably break up and melt before it gets to the coast, but it is an impressive sight for scientists studying seals on Macquarie Island, an Australian nature reserve between New Zealand and Antarctica. One morning they saw a nearly 60-square-mile iceberg on the horizon.
It's not unusual for huge chunks of ice to shear off the Antarctic ice shelf, but they rarely float so far north. The iceberg, known as B17B, came off the Antarctic ice shelf in 2000 and stayed in Antarctic waters until it got caught in currents and wind patterns that pulled it farther north.
Scientists say the iceberg is thinning due to warmer air and water temperatures. The smaller icebergs that break off also could pose risks to ships in the Pacific Ocean.
