According to scientists, the world’s largest iceberg is moving again for the first time in three decades. Current satellite images showed the iceberg called A23a was drifting relatively quickly past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, it was said yesterday. Strong winds and currents support this.
📣 Double iceberg news this morning:
1️⃣ The biggest iceberg, A23a, is on the move!
Here is her journey out of the Weddell Sea after running aground on the seabed after giving birth in August 1986.
Images from Copernicus Sentinel-1, Google Earth Engine 👇 pic.twitter.com/KseKTD1Wrg
– British Antarctic Research 🐧 (@BAS_News) November 24, 2023
The iceberg is about 4,000 square kilometers in size. It remained largely stationary for decades after landing on the ocean floor. According to experts, it is not clear why the iceberg has started to move now.
“It has probably shrunk somewhat over time and gained some extra buoyancy, allowing it to rise from the sea floor and be moved by ocean currents,” said expert Oliver Marsh from the British Antarctic Survey. The A23a could run aground again on the South Georgia Islands in the South Atlantic. Millions of seals, penguins and seabirds breed on the island and look for food in the surrounding waters.