The world’s largest iceberg, A23a, is once again on the move, drifting through the Southern Ocean after spending months stuck spinning in one location, scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have reported.
Covering an area of 3,672 square kilometers (1,418 square miles) as of August—slightly larger than Rhode Island—the A23a iceberg has been closely monitored since it calved from Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986.
For over 30 years, the massive iceberg remained grounded on the seafloor of the Weddell Sea.
Scientists believe its long stagnation was due to its immense size, which anchored it to the seabed, until gradual shrinkage reduced its grip.
Once free, A23a was swept along by ocean currents until it became trapped again in a Taylor column—a spinning vortex of water formed when ocean currents interact with an underwater mountain.
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After breaking free from the column, the iceberg is now drifting toward warmer waters. Scientists predict it will eventually reach the vicinity of South Georgia, a remote island in the South Atlantic. There, it is expected to disintegrate and melt due to rising temperatures.
The BAS noted the significant implications of such events for understanding oceanic processes and the impact of melting icebergs on marine ecosystems.
A23a has held the “largest current iceberg” title several times since the 1980s, occasionally being surpassed by larger but shorter-lived icebergs, including A68 in 2017 and A76 in 2021.
Scientists have said that, while this particular iceberg probably broke away as part of the natural growth cycle of the ice shelf and won’t contribute to rising sea levels, climate change is driving worrying changes in this vast, isolated continent, with potentially devastating consequences for global sea level rise.
Throughout the iceberg’s journey, scientists have studied its erosion as well as the ways in which sea ice can influence global ocean cycles of carbon and nutrients.
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