The world’s largest iceberg is officially on the move.
The A23a is twice the size of Greater London and weighs almost a billion tonnes.
The megaberge It has been stranded on the seafloor for more than 30 years and recently began spinning in place.
Now, experts from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have confirmed that A23a has finally broken free from its position north of the South Orkney Islands.
It is now embarking on a new journey as it begins to float in the Southern Ocean.
“It’s exciting to see A23a moving again after periods of stagnation,” said Dr Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at BAS.
“We are interested to see if it will follow the same route that other large icebergs that have broken off from Antarctica have followed.
“And, more importantly, what impact this will have on the local ecosystem.”
The world’s largest iceberg is officially on the move. The A23a is twice the size of Greater London and weighs almost a billion tonnes.
The megaberg has been stranded on the seafloor for more than 30 years and recently began spinning in place. Now, experts from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have confirmed that A23a has finally broken free from its position north of the South Orkney Islands.
The A23a is around twice the size of Greater London and weighs almost a billion tonnes.
The iceberg originally broke off from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986.
It then remained stranded on the seabed of the Weddell Sea, before beginning its slow journey north in 2020.
In February of this year, the iceberg became trapped in a Taylor plume, a phenomenon in which rotating water on a seamount traps objects in place.
This kept A23a spinning in place, delaying its expected rapid northward drift.
Now, images captured by satellites have confirmed that the iceberg has broken free.
BAS experts now expect it to continue its journey towards the Southern Ocean, following the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
This is likely to propel it towards the subantarctic island of South Georgia.
Warmer conditions in that region will likely cause A23a to break up into smaller icebergs, which will eventually melt.
The iceberg originally broke off from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986. It then remained anchored to the seafloor of the Weddell Sea, before beginning its slow journey north in 2020.
In February of this year, the iceberg became trapped in a Taylor plume, a phenomenon in which rotating water on a seamount traps objects in place.
In addition to satellites, researchers aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough are studying the megaberg.
Laura Taylor, a biogeochemist aboard the ship, hopes to study the iceberg’s impact on local ecosystems.
She said: ‘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 certain icebergs, their scale and their origins can make in that process.
“We sampled ocean surface waters behind, immediately adjacent to, and ahead of the iceberg’s path.
“They should help us determine what life could form around A23a and how it affects carbon in the ocean and its balance with the atmosphere.”