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The world’s largest iceberg, A23a — once spanning more than 3,600 km² and weighing nearly a trillion tons — is now rapidly breaking into massive fragments, according to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
For over 30 years, the giant iceberg remained “grounded” on the floor of the Weddell Sea, but after shrinking in 2020, ocean currents pulled it free. Last year, it began drifting, and its size has now reduced to about 1,700 km². Since May, A23a has been carried by powerful Antarctic currents toward South Georgia, a region where mega-icebergs often shatter completely.
With its disintegration, the title of the world’s largest iceberg has passed to D15a, which covers around 3,000 km² and is currently drifting steadily near Australia’s Davis Station.
Scientists warn that A23a may soon lose even its position as the second-largest iceberg, as its breakup accelerates with warming waters. While iceberg calving is a natural process, human-driven climate change is intensifying glacier melt, threatening to raise global sea levels.
