World's Largest Iceberg Finally On The Move Again
The world's largest and oldest iceberg, A23a, is once again on the move after decades of being grounded on the seafloor and months spinning in ocean currents. The colossal iceberg, which is double the size of Greater London and weighs nearly a trillion tonnes has been spinning on the spot near the South Orkney Islands for months but is now drifting into the Southern Ocean. A23a calved from Antarctica's Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986 and remained grounded in the Weddell Sea for over 30 years. It began its gradual northward journey in 2020 but was delayed when it became trapped in a Taylor Column— in which water currents above a seamount rotate, holding objects in place. This dynamic caused the iceberg to spin on the spot for months, further postponing its drift. It is now free of the column and heading north in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current into the Southern Ocean. As it reaches warmer waters, scientists expect the iceberg to break apart into smaller pieces and eventually melt.
