For the first time in more than three decades, the world’s largest iceberg is on the move. Called A23a, the iceberg is 1,500 square miles in area, which is a little larger than the size of Rhode Island state (1,214).
Since calving off West Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986, the iceberg, which once hosted a Soviet research station, has been stuck on the floor of the Weddell Sea.
Now that it’s free, the iceberg will most likely enter the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which will lead it toward the Southern Ocean “iceberg alley” and into the open sea.
“Over time it’s probably just thinned slightly and got that little bit of extra buoyancy that’s allowed it to lift off the ocean floor and get pushed by ocean currents,” said Oliver Marsh, a British glaciologist at Antarctic Survey.
There is some concern that A23a may ground itself at South Georgia Island, which would be a major issue for seals, penguins and seabirds that breed on the island. If A23a were to ground itself there, it would cut off access to the island and its surrounding waters. However, A23a may break into smaller chunks before then.
Marsh hypothesizes that A23a could survive long enough to enter waters around South Africa, but for now, glaciologists at the Antarctic Survey are monitoring the iceberg’s moves.
