Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
A colossal iceberg known as A23a, weighing nearly a trillion tonnes, has been observed undergoing a gradual rotation near the Antarctic Peninsula.
The rotation of A23a, which covers an area more than twice the size of Greater London, has been documented through imagery obtained from the US space agency's Modis satellite sensor system.
A23a broke off from the Antarctic coast in 1986 and remained grounded on the Weddell Sea floor for three decades before beginning to drift away from the continent in recent years.
Currently positioned between Elephant Island and the South Orkney Islands, A23a is expected to enter the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, propelled by strong westerly winds, once it crosses the South Scotia Ridge.
The berg's movement aligns with a major route for ice export from Antarctica, known as "iceberg alley," guided by a complex interplay of winds, ocean fronts, and eddies.
Recent observations show A23a undergoing erosion and melting, with waves carving into its structure and forming smaller ice fragments termed "bergy bits" and "growlers."
Despite its immense size, A23a's area is gradually diminishing as it moves into warmer and more turbulent waters, accelerating the processes of erosion and melting.
The precise path of A23a in the coming weeks will depend on various environmental factors, with many of these massive tabular icebergs ultimately passing near the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia.