A23a, touted as the largest iceberg currently in existence, is undergoing a spectacular transformation as it journeys away from Antarctica towards warmer waters, according to reports from the BBC. Photographers aboard a ship operated by travel company EYOS captured stunning images on Sunday, showcasing the massive iceberg’s disintegration into a landscape of caverns, arches, and flying buttresses sculpted by large waves.
“It’s mind-bogglingly big. We can only know how big it is from science. It’s certainly too big to photograph. It stretches as far as you can see in both directions,” expressed EYOS videographer Richard Sidey, emphasizing the colossal scale of the frozen behemoth, which spans an area of 1,500 square miles and reaches heights comparable to skyscrapers.
A23a, which broke off from Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986, remained trapped in the sea floor until it showed signs of movement in 2020. The pace of its drift accelerated significantly in the past year, propelled by strong ocean currents and fierce winds.
The question arises: Is climate change behind A23a’s movement? While scientists assert that the iceberg’s breakaway is part of the natural glacier cycle at Antarctica, where calving icebergs contribute essential nutrients to the ocean, concerns linger. The Earth’s southernmost continent has witnessed profound changes due to global warming, including record declines in sea ice cover and distressing incidents like the demise of Emperor Penguin chicks.
“The Antarctic used to be seen as this sleeping giant, nothing was happening. It was just big and really cold — that’s my non-scientific way of saying it. And now it’s clear based on the sea ice that it is actually destabilizing,” warned University of Exeter’s Professor of Sustainability, Gail Whiteman, highlighting the unsettling implications of such monumental ice events in the context of global climate change.
