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PLANET – It’s called a23a and is the largest iceberg in the world. 4,000 km2 wide, twice the size of the greater London area and 400 meters high (for comparison: the Eiffel Tower measures 310 meters) it floats in the middle of Antarctica, reports the BBC.
However, it had not moved since 1986, when it broke away from the continent and became an iceberg. At that time it was submerged under water and was just a large ice island. But due to ocean currents and warm air, it began to melt and move. “His size decreased so much that he lost his footing and started moving. I discovered the first movement in 2020,” explains Dr. Andrew Fleming, a British scientist, told the BBC.
But don’t panic, the A23a iceberg probably won’t hit us one day. These ice blocks naturally melt in the current and are destined to disappear. Two years ago, an even larger iceberg called A76 also broke away from Antarctica. Today it has almost completely melted and only part of the original 4,320 km2 remains.
The formation of icebergs is a natural phenomenon that is greatly accelerated by climate change, for which human activities are responsible. According to an IPCC study, the air and water in Antarctica have warmed even faster than the rest of the planet.