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3w ago

Antarctic Megaberg A23a Enters Final Breakup, Ceding Largest-Iceberg Title to D15a

Warmer waters and wave action are driving a rapid disintegration that scientists expect will leave only untrackable fragments within weeks.

Warm water and the coming southern spring mean the iceberg is likely to break down into smaller sections rapidly, experts say.
© MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

  • Satellite analyses and BAS assessments show A23a has shrunk to roughly 1,700–1,770 square kilometers after shedding very large pieces, including fragments around 400 square kilometers that the US National Ice Center has designated as new icebergs.
  • Researchers say the berg is fracturing quickly and could vanish as a coherent iceberg within weeks, with one expert adding it may not survive past November and could even collapse suddenly at sea.
  • After calving in 1986 and spending decades grounded in the Weddell Sea, A23a drifted north in 2020, briefly grounded near South Georgia in March 2025, floated free in May, and has since been steered northeast along iceberg alley by the Southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current Front.
  • The rapid breakup eases immediate concerns for South Georgia’s penguin and seal colonies but creates a short‑term hazard to shipping as numerous smaller pieces become harder to track, prompting monitoring flights and satellite surveillance.
  • With A23a’s retreat, the largest‑iceberg distinction now sits with D15a at about 3,000 square kilometers, while A23a has already spawned named fragments including A23D, A23E and A23F.