A trillion tonne iceberg which is twice the size of Greater London is headed on a collision course with a British island.
The world’s largest iceberg has been dubbed a ‘megaberg’, though it also bears the more official name of A23a, and it first broke free of the Antarctic coastline all the way back in 1986.
Thankfully, it was so large that it spent the next three decades wedged in the Weddell Sea, but in 2020 it had become unanchored from the sea floor and went on the move again.
The iceberg is about twice the size of Greater London (UK MOD Crown Copyright via Getty Images)
It got stuck again in 2024 after becoming trapped in a vortex known as a ‘Taylor Column’, which is where rotating water traps an object in place to leave A23a stranded and in a spin for months.
Unfortunately, the world’s largest iceberg started moving again and according to Sky News, is heading for a British island.
Fortunately, that island is South Georgia, which is situated in the South Atlantic Ocean and is home to only around 30 to 40 people.
But this gigantic megaberg still poses a significant danger to the many penguins and seals that call the island home with British Antarctic Survey physical oceanographer Andrew Meijer concerned that A23a could ‘dramatically increase mortality rates’ among penguins.
Meijer was able to closely study this giant iceberg in 2023 when he was on board the RRS Sir David Attenborough (the one that was originally going to be called Boaty McBoatface) and described it as ‘a Game of Thrones-style wall of ice that towers above the ship’.
If the giant iceberg gets stuck in the shallow water around the island that could block paths penguins take to go and find food, meaning it’s a more tiring thing for them and they bring back less food for their chicks.
Yesterday (23 January) the BBC reported that this gargantuan iceberg was 173 miles away from South Georgia and is under constant monitoring.
While the iceberg first broke off in 1986 the journey it is currently on is likely to spell doom for A23a.
Experts fear the iceberg could be devastating for the penguins that call South Georgia home, since it may mean they can’t bring as much food to their chicks (Sascha Grabow/Getty Images)
That’s because the further north it travels the warmer the water it will move through is and the process of it melting and breaking up will accelerate.
Satellite images indicate that the giant iceberg used to be about 1,500 square miles and has since shrunk to about 1,350 square miles, with experts predicting that it will eventually break up into smaller chunks which may cause problems of their own both for the local wildlife and the ships sailing through the area.
Featured Image Credit: UK MOD Crown Copyright via Getty Images
Topics: UK News, World News, Environment
Joe Harker
‘Megaberg’ weighing 1,000,000,000 tonnes and twice the size of London breaks apart and set loose
The world’s largest iceberg is on the move
A 1,000,000,000 tonne ‘megaberg’ believed to be twice the size of London is on the move once again.
The colossal iceberg – known to scientists as A23a – originally broke off from the Antarctic coastline all the way back in 1986 and spent the following 30 years wedged into the floor of the Weddell Sea due to its size.
However, A23a was later spotted drifting north back in 2020 after becoming unanchored from the seafloor.
The mega iceberg would again find itself stuck once again earlier this year, after becoming trapped in vortex back in spring.
The world’s largest iceberg is drifting north once again (Getty Stock Images)
The vortex is known as a ‘ Taylor Column’ and occurs when rotating water traps an object in place, which meant 1,000,000,000 tonne chunk of ice spent several months spinning around aimlessly in the freezing sea.
But it would seem that A23a is nothing if not determined as the iceberg has now broken free again and is now back to drifting through the Southern Ocean.
Speaking about the update, which was confirmed by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) on Friday, oceanographer Dr Andrew Meijers said: “It’s exciting to see A23a on the move again after periods of being stuck.
“We are interested to see if it will take the same route the other large icebergs that have calved off Antarctica have taken.”
Experts currently expect the iceberg will eventually drift into the Atlantic Ocean, however, there is no risk of A23a crashing into any passing vessels or nearby islands anytime soon as the warmer waters will cause the ice to melt.
Iceberg A23a is currently of interest to scientists and researchers due to its ability to influence the surrounding eco-system.
Last year, BAS crew onboard the RRS David Attenborough were able to study the iceberg up close in order to gain further understanding of A23a as well as gather samples.
“We know that these giant icebergs can provide nutrients to the waters they pass through, creating thriving ecosystems in otherwise less productive areas. What we don’t know is what difference particular icebergs, their scale, and their origins can make to that process,” biogeochemist and researcher Laura Taylor said of the ongoing project, which is known as BIOPOLE.
“We took samples of ocean surface waters behind, immediately adjacent to, and ahead of the iceberg’s route. They should help us determine what life could form around A23a and how it impacts carbon in the ocean and its balance with the atmosphere.”
Featured Image Credit: (Getty Stock Photos)
Topics: Environment, World News, Science, Weather
Brenna Cooper
Why world’s deadliest island that ‘killed you if you breathed’ was banned to British public
Would you take a trip to this island?
An island once dubbed the ‘world’s deadliest’ was closed to the public for nearly 50 years.
When you think of the Scottish Highlands, images of mountains, freezing temperatures, and deep, mysterious lochs typically comes to mind.
But what about anthrax?
Gruinard Island is located off the Scottish Highlands (Chip HIRES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Why was Gruinard Island banned to the public?
Located close to a bay near Gairlock and Ullapool, Gruinard Island appears pretty unimportant at first glance. However, it was once a key World War II test site, which left it contaminated with a deadly virus for nearly five decades.
In 1942, scientists set off anthrax spore bombs as part of ‘Operation Vegetarian’, to test whether or not the bacteria could be weaponised in their offensive against Germany.
The operation saw the military purchase the remote island and ban locals from visiting. Sheep were then used as test subjects for the subsequent anthrax explosion, with all of the livestock ultimately becoming contaminated and dying.
“Eighty-odd sheep were tethered at various stages downwind of the likely explosion,” University of Leeds professor later Edward Spiers explained in the 2022 documentary ‘The Mystery of Anthrax Island’.
“It isn’t a great bang, a draught of highly potent spores moving down on the wind and causing infection and death wherever it goes.”
A sign warning people away from Gruinard Island (Chip HIRES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Anthrax spores never ended up being used in weapons. However, enough damage was done to the island, and in 1945, the Ministry of Supply took responsibility of the island and judged it to be ‘too hazardous’.
The research would remain a secret by the UK government until the 1980s when ‘Operation Dark Harvest’ demanded the island be decontaminated, thus bringing the situation into public knowledge. It wouldn’t be until 1997 when the full details came to light, when a declassified military film was released into the public domain.
Has Gruinard Island since been decontaminated?
The actions of the Dark Harvest Commandos saw the UK government try again to decontaminate the island, this time by soaking the island in a mixture of seawater and formaldehyde while the worst affected soil was removed an incinerated.
A flock of sheep would later be placed on the island after the clean-up in 1987, and they remained healthy – leading the government to declare the island anthrax-free and remove warning signs deterring people from visiting in 1990.
In 2022, the entire island would catch fire, with eye-witnesses calling the scene ‘apocalyptic’ and like a ‘hell fire’ at the time.
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YouTuber Dara Tah visited the island in 2023 (YouTube/DaraTah)
Has anyone visited Gruinard Island since?
The island would become the subject of renewed curiosity in 2023, when YouTuber Dara Tah decided to stay overnight on Gruinard and remove some of the soil for anthrax testing.
Despite the island’s contamination-free status, Tah and friend Matt James donned hazmat suits for the video to be on the safe side.
Fortunately, the samples the pair took from the island came back anthrax-free, which means its safe to visit – if you want to.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/DaraTah/Getty Stock Images
Topics: Community, Environment, History, World War 2, Science, Travel
Brenna Cooper
British couple who were trying to sail the Atlantic Ocean found washed up in a lifeboat on remote island
A friend of Sarah Packwood, 54, and her husband Brett Clibbery, 70, said the couple died doing ‘the thing they loved’
A British couple who were attempting to sail across the Atlantic Ocean have tragically been found dead in a lifeboat which washed up on a remote island off the coast of Canada.
Sarah Packwood, 54, and her 70-year-old husband Brett Clibbery had embarked on a daring voyage on their wind and solar-powered yacht, Theros, on 11 June from Nova Scotia in the hopes of making it to the Azores.
According to Canadian police, the pair departed from Halifax Harbour on the 42ft vessel and were reported missing a week later after concerns were raised when contact with their boat had been lost.
Three weeks later on 10 July, the bodies of Sarah and Brett were sadly discovered on Sable Island – which has been dubbed the ‘graveyard of the Atlantic’ – after their three-metre life raft washed ashore.
Officials have launched an investigation into the incident and formal identification is still yet to take place, but Brett’s son James Clibbery said it ‘is hard to remain hopeful’ following the discovery around 108 miles southeast of Nova Scotia.
Sarah Packwood and Brett Clibbery were found dead on Sable Island (Facebook)
In a Facebook post paying tribute to his father and his wife Sarah, a musician from the UK, James touchingly wrote: “The past few days have been very hard.
“My father James Brett Clibbery, and his wife, Sarah Justine Packwood have regrettably passed away.
“There is still an investigation, as well as a DNA test to confirm, but with all the news, it is hard to remain hopeful.
“I am so very sorry to the people who were friends of them. They were amazing people, and there isn’t anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing.
“Living will not be the same without your wisdom, and your wife was quickly becoming a beacon of knowledge, and kindness. I miss your smiles. I miss your voices. You will be forever missed.”
Sarah and Brett are said to have first met at a London bus stop in 2015 before getting hitched on their beloved yacht the following year, and later doing it all again in a Celtic marriage ceremony at Stonehenge.
The couple were attempting to journey across the Atlantic to the Azores (Facebook)
Investigators will now work to piece together what happened to the couple as they headed off on a 2,000 mile mission across the Atlantic to reach the autonomous region of Portugal.
Brett was reportedly carrying a Garmin GPS device with him, which is said to have last pinged with his location around 40 miles south-west of Sable Island on 13 June.
The treacherous 28-mile stretch of land where the couple were found is notorious among sailors due to the more than 350 shipwrecks which have been recorded there since 1583.
There isn’t much in the way of human activity up there, as only a handful of people – typically federal government staff or researchers – man the protected National Park Reserve site which has no permanent residents.
The couple documented their adventures on YouTube (YouTube/Theros Adventures)
Sarah, who hailed from Warwickshire, was described as an ‘accomplished sailor’ who moved to Canada with Brett, with pals explaining they lived on Salt Spring Island, near Vancouver.
They documented their voyages onboard Theros on their YouTube and Facebook pages, Theros Adventures, and had dubbed their adventure across the Atlantic ‘the green odyssey’.
The couple said this was in homage to their yacht being powered by a battery from an electric Nissan Leaf car and six solar panels.
Pal John Dolman told local news outlet the Times Colonist that the pair died doing ‘the thing they loved’.
“She called him ‘captain’ and called herself the ‘carpenter’s apprentice’,” he said of Sarah and Brett.
“They were in love. They passed away doing the thing that they loved. Their adventure continues on the other side.”
Featured Image Credit: Facebook
Topics: UK News, World News, News
Olivia Burke
‘Ozempic-friendly’ food is now being made by the world’s largest food company
A brand new range of food for people taking GLP-1 drugs
The world’s largest food company has launched a new ‘Ozempic-friendly’ range for those who take the weight management drug.
Ozempic is just one of a range of what are called GLP-1 drugs; a class of medications that mainly help manage blood sugar levels for those with Type 2 diabetes.
But it is also used to help those struggling with obesity, with the likes of Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro suppressing your appetite and increasing the amount of time food stays in the stomach, leading to weight loss.
GLP-1 drugs can be a lifeline for some (Getty Stock Images)
Now, food giant Nestle is offering food products for people on GLP-1 drugs to aid their weight loss journeys.
The company says the products ‘are high in protein, a good source of fibre, contain essential nutrients, and they are portion-aligned to a weight loss medication user’s appetite’.
Called Vital Pursuit, the line of food products will be available in the USA.
Steve Presley, Chief Executive Officer at Nestle North America, said: “At Nestlé we want to be there for every moment in our consumers’ lives – today and in the future.
“As the use of medications to support weight loss continues to rise, we see an opportunity to serve those consumers.
“Vital Pursuit provides accessible, great-tasting food options that support the needs of consumers in this emerging category.
“We’re leveraging our deep understanding of consumers and nutritional science to stay ahead of the trends that are shaping consumer behaviours, and innovating across our portfolio to deliver products people will love.”
Ozempic (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Nestle says the GLP-1 friendly foods will be available in the final quarter of 2024.
It comes as one doctor with millions of TikTok followers revealed ‘the truth’ about taking GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic when it comes to wanting to lose weight.
Dr. Karan Rajan explained when the time is right to take the drug and when it should be avoided due to risks that exist with consuming the medication regularly.
Dr Rajan said: “Research shows that most people who stop Ozempic will regain most of their original weight. This study of almost 2,000 adults showed that patients how stopped ozempic regained two thirds of the lost weight within a year.
“The question then becomes do you actually need to chase weight loss at all cost, or at the cost of taking medications for life? And the answer to that might be yes if the alternative is life-threatening chronic metabolic diseases.”
Losing weight can be hard for some people (Getty Stock Images)
He continued: “For the select group of patients who would benefit from Ozempic it’s got a far lower risk profile than major weight loss surgery which literally involves rearranging your guts.
“And it can still offer similar weight loss benefits and be far less invasive. In specific cases, Ozempic can be a game-changer for the treatment of obesity. But for someone who is slightly overweight or a normal weight, and taking Ozempic to shed a few kilos or get that summer six pack, the risk-benefit ratio of Ozempic does not land favourably.
“To get a six pack are you willing to risk a side effect like pancreatitis, the inflammation of the pancreas that can be fatal. Ultimately the data shows Ozempic alone is not sufficient for sustainable long term weight loss. It has to be combined with lifestyle changes including dietary changes and exercise.”
