The world’s largest iceberg is moving for the first time in thirty years

The A23a iceberg in Antarctica has an area of ​​about 4,000 square kilometres, which is almost three times larger than New York City.

Scientists announced Friday that the largest iceberg in the world is moving for the first time in thirty years.

The A23a iceberg in Antarctica has an area of ​​about 4,000 square kilometres, which is almost three times larger than New York City. Since breaking off from the Felchner Rune Ice Shelf in West Antarctica in 1986, the iceberg that once housed a Soviet research station has remained largely stuck after its submerged portion collapsed, frozen at the bottom of the Weddell Sea.

But recent satellite images have revealed that the nearly 1-billion-ton iceberg is now drifting rapidly across the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, driven by strong winds and currents.

Oliver Marsh, a glaciologist at Harvard University, said it is rare to see an iceberg of this size moving British Antarctic Survey.

One of the oldest icebergs in the world

As the iceberg gains strength, it will likely be thrown into the Antarctic current, which will then carry it toward the Southern Ocean, on a path known as the “iceberg pass” where other icebergs of this type float in dark waters.

The reason for his trip is currently unknown. “Over time, it probably thinned out a bit and gained a little extra buoyancy that allowed it to rise off the ocean floor and be pushed by ocean currents,” Oliver Marsh said.

A23a is also one of the oldest icebergs in the world. It will likely wash up on South Georgia Island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, which could pose a problem for Antarctica’s flora and fauna. Millions of seals, penguins and seabirds breed on the island and feed in the surrounding waters.

In 2020, another giant iceberg, A68, threatened to collide with South Georgia Island, but eventually broke up into smaller pieces beforehand. It is a fate that the A23a could also face.