· 2 min read
illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on CNN or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: The world’s largest iceberg, A23a, is rapidly breaking into several large pieces, according to scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS)
• Once covering 3,672 km² and weighing nearly a trillion metric tonnes, A23a has now shrunk to around 1,700 km², roughly the size of Greater London
• Warmer waters and the arrival of the southern spring are accelerating its fragmentation, ending its nearly 40-year presence in the South Atlantic
🔭 The context: A23a calved from Antarctica’s Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986 and remained grounded in the Weddell Sea for over three decades
• Since breaking free in 2020, it has been carried by ocean currents, repeatedly grounding and refloating before entering the "iceberg alley" near South Georgia Island
• Its prolonged stability contrasted with the rapid breakups of other megabergs like A68 (2021) and A76 (2023)
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: While iceberg calving is a natural process, climate change is intensifying ice shelf disintegration, contributing to sea level rise and altering marine ecosystems
• The breakup of A23a highlights the growing presence of massive icebergs in critical habitats like South Georgia
• Their grounding and melting can disrupt ocean circulation, marine food chains, and seabed ecosystems — with long-term consequences for biodiversity and global climate patterns
⏭️ What's next: A23a is expected to continue fragmenting into icebergs too small to track
• The crown of the world’s largest iceberg has now passed to D15a, located off the Antarctic coast
• BAS scientists have returned samples from A23a to the UK for analysis, aiming to better understand the ecological impacts of megabergs
• Researchers warn that more frequent iceberg formation near South Georgia may become a new norm under continued global warming
💬 One quote: “It is important to understand these impacts as large icebergs may become a more common feature at South Georgia as a result of global warming,” said a BAS spokesperson.
📈 One stat: A23a has lost more than 50% of its surface area since May 2025 — shrinking from 3,672 km² to 1,700 km² in under four months
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