Scientists are currently observing a global phenomenon.
The world's biggest iceberg has broken free from the seafloor and is now adrift in the South Ocean.
Coming in at a whopping one trillion tons, the world's biggest iceberg is a real whopper and is three times the size of New York City.
Advert
To put into context, the iceberg that hit the Titanic is thought to be 75 million tons, meaning this icy Goliath is over 13,000 times bigger.
According to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the iceberg has been grounded on the seafloor for decades, but more recently, has been spinning on the spot.
The unimaginatively named A23a broke free from the Filchner Ice Shelf in the Antarctic in 1986 and has been closely monitored ever since. On its latest adventure, it's escaped its position near the South Orkney Islands and is heading into the unknown.
Advert
Scientists speculate that A23a will keep moving through the Southern Ocean thanks to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, expected to push it toward South Georgia in the sub-Antarctic. As it's much warmer there, the iceberg is poised to break into smaller pieces and eventually melt.
In 2023, British polar research ship the RRS Sir David Attenborough passed by the A23a near the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula while on the way to Antarctica. The ship was off to the Weddell Sea for the BIOPOLE project, hoping to study how Antarctic ecosystems and sea ice can influence the global ocean. The vessel had a 'lucky' encounter with the iceberg and was able to give scientists a closer look at this chilly colossus.
Explaining the importance of the A23a, Laura Taylor, a biogeochemist on the BIOPOLE cruise, told the BAS: "We know that these giant icebergs can provide nutrients to the waters they pass through, creating thriving ecosystems in otherwise less productive areas.
“What we don’t know is what difference particular icebergs, their scale, and their origins can make to that process.
Advert
"We took samples of ocean surface waters behind, immediately adjacent to, and ahead of the iceberg’s route.
"They should help us determine what life could form around A23a and how it impacts carbon in the ocean and its balance with the atmosphere.”
February 2024 saw the iceberg become trapped in a Taylor Column, which is a phenomenon where rotating water traps an object in place. Now, satellites have captured images of its new movement.
Discussing the development, Dr Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at the BAS, said: "It’s exciting to see A23a on the move again after periods of being stuck. We are interested to see if it will take the same route the other large icebergs that have calved off Antarctica have taken. And more importantly what impact this will have on the local ecosystem."
Advert
While impressive in size, A23a's 4,000 km2 is a far cry from the 11,007 km2 that the B-15 measured before it broke up in 2005. If you want to know how big that is, it's roughly 62 times bigger than Washington D.C.