Giant iceberg A23a breaks free from Antarctica and drifts towards Southern Ocean

A massive iceberg named A23a, weighing 1 trillion tonnes and measuring 3,800 square kilometers, has broken free from the Filchner Ice Shelf in Antarctica. It had been trapped on the seafloor of the Weddell Sea for over 30 years. Recent satellite observations confirm that A23a is now drifting towards the Southern Ocean after being stuck in a vortex. Scientists are studying its movement and potential impact on local ecosystems as it approaches warmer waters near South Georgia. Researchers aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough are collecting water samples to analyze how A23a affects nutrient distribution and marine life in previously less productive areas.