Largest Iceberg in the World is Falling Apart

The world's biggest iceberg is falling apart, ringing the alarm bell about the impacts of climate change. Here is a look at what is happening in Antarctica.

Chunks of Ice Falling Off World's Largest Iceberg

Scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) confirmed this week that the A23a iceberg has broken up. Known as the largest iceberg on Earth, A23a has been closely monitored since the time that it broke away from the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in 1986.

A23a had previously come in with a weight of a trillion metric tons, stretching over an area of 1,418 square miles. The massive chunk of ice has been distinguished as the world's largest current iceberg many times, dating back to the 1980s. Oceanographers are now warning that the iceberg is shedding large chunks at a rapid pace. The chunks that are coming off of A23a are so large that the U.S. National Ice Center has designated them as their own icebergs. The report notes that A23a has shrunk to the size of 656 square miles as a result of the shedding.

The Journey of A23a: From Weddell Sea to South Georgia