November 25, 2023
Posted by Meteorologist Beau Dodson
ANTARCTIC PENINSULA (NewsFirst) — Iceberg enthusiasts will be excited to learn that after more than three decades, scientists have said that the world’s largest iceberg is on the move.
The iceberg’s name is A23a. It is roughly 1,500 square miles. For scale, that is three times the size of New York City.
Recent satellite images have revealed that the iceberg has started drifting past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Strong winds and currents are aiding in its movement.
The iceberg weights a trillion metric tons.
The massive iceberg will likely find itself in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This will push the iceberg into an any known as “iceberg alley” where other significant icebergs can be found.
A23a broke off the West Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice-Shelt in 1986. The iceberg is so large that it once hosted a Soviet research station.
For more than thirty years the iceberg was stuck on the flood of the Weddell Sea.
It’s rare to see an iceberg of this size on the move, said British Antarctic Survey glaciologist Oliver Marsh, so scientists will be watching its trajectory closely.
“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 Marsh. A23a is also among the world’s oldest icebergs.
The iceberg poses no threat to humans. It could impact wildlife in the Antarctic. There are seals, seabirds, and penguins that breed on the island. It is possible that A23a could cut off access to some areas.
