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Experts had predicted that B15A — a 100-mile long iceberg — would likely slam into a huge glacier near the U.S. McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica some time last weekend.


But the iceberg appeared to have run aground about three miles from the 60-mile long glacier, known as the Drygalski Ice Tongue, Antarctica New Zealand's science strategy manager, Dean Peterson, said Thursday.


"This berg has wedged itself between two shallow areas. ... It really hasn't gotten any closer for a week now," Peterson said. "It's kind of shimmying back and forth now ... so I don't know whether it's ever going to get to the Drygalski or not."


The apparent grounding of the 1,200-square-mile iceberg could present problems to scientific bases on the frozen continent.


B15A has blocked wind and water currents that break up ice floes in McMurdo Sound during the Antarctic summer, causing a build-up of ice behind it. The U.S. McMurdo Station and New Zealand's Scott Base are located on the sound, and Italy's Terra Nova base is nearby.


The iceberg and the ice buildup are in the path of ships due to arrive in Antarctica soon with fuel and food for the three stations. Officials say the bases are not immediately in danger of running out of supplies, and scientists are looking into solutions, including breaking a path through the ice.


The ice blockage also threatens penguin breeding colonies, with tens of thousands of Adele penguin chicks facing starvation as parent birds are forced to trudge up to 110 miles to open sea to gather food.


Peterson said if B15A doesn't break free by itself or with the help of an Antarctic storm, "it's even more likely to block up the sea ice," which is already 16 feet thick in parts.


Scientists had hoped a collision between the iceberg and glacier would cause the iceberg to drift away from the coast and out to sea, clearing the blocked routes.


Any impact between the two ice titans "will be a collision in slow motion," Peterson said.


"It's not going to be a big impact of something fast, but it'll take a long time for that iceberg to slow down once it does get moving," he said, adding that the iceberg would likely move a little more than a mile a day.


Still, Peterson admitted that scientists don't know what forces move icebergs, adding that one this large can create its own weather pattern.


Peterson said there was no timetable for either the collision to take place or for the iceberg to float away.


"These things can linger for 20 years," he said.

I think we are pretty much doomed.

Jack,
You have too much time on your hands right now

Poor penguins.

Ben

We are not doomed:


Although it may take I while to melt it, and one hell of an extension cord.

There is always hope, well I hope.

I would like to go to Antartica sometime but my wife said I could but if I tried to take her or the kid then she would put a death grip on my boys but of course she would be happy in like Arizona or New Mexico type heat and I would be happy in Antartica

DOOD, Larry- if you melted it, the world would flood again! BAD IDEA!

Snow cone anyone?

Yeah, I suppose you are right, I am not ready to have ocean front property back home in KY just yet.

LOL, that would suck, but with global warming, it's inevitably going to happen one day. Long after our time, though.

What global warming??? It is figment of some warped tree-huggers mind. There is really no data of significance to show anything more than normal variations in temperature. It is just an excuse to use to try to keep us from driving our V8 gas hogs we love so well. When you see something like the recent tsunamai or the eruption of Mt Pinatubo a few years ago, it shows you how small we are. Anything created by man, short of a nuke explosion is small compared to what Mother Nature can do. The horrible hole in the ozone layer is even closing up. Don't worry about it.

I'm not worried at all Jerry. I try to live in the now, because life is too short, and you never know what's going to happen from one day to the next. The tsunamis are proof positive of that!

The end of the last ice age is what I consider global warming. Hell, you got people in Michigan complaining because it is warming up there, and folks in Vegas complaining cause it is cooling off. Hmmmmm....

Me personally, screw the environment. It won't be my problem to deal with. Just my .02

Good attitude Nick. You might change your mind if you have kids, though.

Nevermind, I forgot- you already do.

Heck, there's enough tree huggers out there being super enviro friendly, I figure that should give me a few extra ozone molecules to destroy. It all evens out.

Really though, I'm not sure I buy into stuff like this. It seems like the do gooders have a different cause to fight for every six months. Seems more faddish than realistic.

You may be right, but I just wish someone could confirm it once and for all.