The iceberg stuck for more than 30 years is spinning in Antarctica

Known as A23a, this giant city-sized iceberg broke off from Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in 1986. It then became trapped on the seabed in the Weddell Sea in more than 30 years before starting to move gently again in 2020. In early 2024, it entered a “rotation” phase and began to rotate indefinitely by 15° per day.

According to a new announcement from the British Antarctic Survey, A23a is moving again through the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

It is expected that this giant iceberg will continue its journey in the current around Antarctica and end up near South Georgia Island, where it will come into contact with warm water, causing the iceberg to melt into smaller icebergs and eventually completely melted.

“It’s exciting to see A23a moving again after periods of being stuck. We’re interested to see whether it follows the path taken by other large ice sheets that have broken off from Antarctica. More importantly is how this impacts the local ecosystem,” said Dr. Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey and co-leader of the OCEAN:ICE project. a statement.

Scientists are closely monitoring how A23a affects the environment it is passing through. Late last year, the RRS Sir David Attenborough imaged the iceberg and collected samples from close contact to better understand its future path and potential impact.

According to Laura Taylor, a biochemist working on the BIOPOLE project aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough, these giant ice floes can provide nutrients to the waters they pass through, creating thriving ecosystems strong in less productive areas. But scientists still don’t know what difference individual ice sheets, their size and origin, can make to that process.

“We sampled ocean surface water behind, right next to and ahead of the ice sheet’s path. The analysis aimed to determine how life could form around A23a and how it affects carbon in the ocean positive and its balance with the atmosphere,” Taylor added.