World's oldestbiggesticeberg has begun its final journey
For the first time in over three decades, the world’s largest iceberg, known as A23a, is on the move and has already covered an area of almost 4,000 square km
This Antarctic iceberg is approximately three times the size of New York City
Having calved off West Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986, A23a, which once hosted a Soviet research station, had largely been stationary since its base became stuck on the floor of the Weddell Sea
Recent satellite images now reveal a shift, indicating that the iceberg, weighing nearly a trillion metric tonnes, is rapidly drifting past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula
As A23a gains momentum, it is expected to be propelled into the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, directing it towards the Southern Ocean along a path known as “iceberg alley,” where other large icebergs can be found floating in the dark waters
The iceberg, which is up to 400 meters thick in places, is currently drifting between Elephant Island and the South Orkney Islands