The largest iceberg on the planet is on the move for the first time in decades, barreling towards the Southern Ocean, scientists announced Friday.
Here’s some glacial recognition.
The largest iceberg on the planet is on the move for the first time in decades, barreling toward the Southern Ocean, scientists announced Friday.
The iceberg, known as A23a, is roughly 1,500 square miles — about three times the size of New York City.
The massive block of ice, which was once home to a Soviet research station, originally broke off from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in West Antarctica in 1986. It’s been stranded in the Waddell Sea since its base became stuck on the ocean floor.
Now the nearly trillion metric ton chunk is quickly drifting past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, fueled by strong winds and ocean currents, satellite images show.