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Antarctica’s A-23A Megaberg Disintegrates After Nearly 40 Years

Fresh satellite data confirm the breakup, pointing to surface melt as the key trigger.

Overview

  • NASA said Monday that satellite images from April 3 show A-23A reduced to small fragments in the South Atlantic.
  • Analysts estimated the iceberg had shrunk to just over 170 square kilometers by March 27, down from more than 6,000 square kilometers in 2020.
  • The berg drifted more than 2,300 kilometers into warmer waters north of South Georgia and moved under Argentina’s ice-monitoring authority in early February.
  • Large pools of meltwater on the surface weakened the ice and likely hastened the final collapse.
  • Iceberg A-23A calved from the Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986 and spent decades grounded in the Weddell Sea before resuming its drift around 2020.