World’s largest iceberg A23a loses 9% of its area

The world’s largest iceberg, A23a, which broke off from Antarctica’s glaciers, has lost 9% of its area over the past year, reports the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.

“The largest iceberg in the world, A23a, is continuing to drift approximately 300 kilometers from South Georgia Island. In recent months, its size has significantly decreased due to ice melting. Since November 2023, it has lost about 9% of its area. In the first two weeks of 2025, the iceberg indeed moved toward South Georgia. However, last week, A23a changed its course westward. Its further trajectory will depend on winds and ocean currents, but it may pass close to the islands,” the report states.

A23a iceberg broke off from the Antarctic coast in 1986 but soon became “stuck” in the Weddell Sea. For 30 years, it remained a static “ice island.” By 2020, it began moving again. In early April, A23a entered the Antarctic Circumpolar Current — a powerful flow that circulates 100 times more water than all the rivers on Earth combined. In mid-December last year, the iceberg escaped the Scotia Sea trap and began moving toward the Southern Ocean.

According to recent assessments, the iceberg’s area is 3,672 square kilometers, with a weight of 1 trillion tons. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”