World’s largest iceberg breaks free, could threaten wildlife
- At three times the size of New York, and weighing nearly a trillion tonnes, iceberg A23a is on the move for the first time in over 30 years
- Depending on where it ends up, the colossal berg could cut off access to food and breeding grounds for millions of seals, penguins and seabirds
The world’s largest iceberg is on the move for the first time in more than three decades, scientists said on Friday. At almost 4,000 sq km (1,500 square miles), the Antarctic iceberg called A23a is roughly three times the size of New York.
Since calving off West Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986, the iceberg – which once hosted a Soviet research station – has largely been stranded after its base became stuck on the floor of the Weddell Sea.
Not any more.
Recent satellite images reveal that the berg, weighing nearly a trillion tonnes, is now drifting quickly past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, aided by strong winds and currents.
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.
