Largest iceberg in the world: whirlpool saves A23a from melting

London – It is as big as Mallorca and around 4.5 times the size of Berlin: A23a is the largest iceberg in the world. But something else is making it globally famous: the cold colossus refuses to die.

The iceberg’s journey began in 1986 when it broke away from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in the Antarctic Until the year 2000 it was still stuck on the sea floor. Then the 4,000 square kilometers of ice made their way to warmer climes.

This seemed to seal the fate of A23a. Actually…

A23a is the largest iceberg in the world at 4000 square kilometers
Photo: Ian Strachan/Eyos Expeditions/dp

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A23a rotates in the vortex

The colossus did not make it across the Southern Ocean. Its journey was halted near the South Orkney Islands northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Since April, A23a has been stuck there in a huge whirlpool – and is rotating around itself. Satellite images show this.

Scientists say the iceberg may not be able to escape the vortex, a so-called Taylor column, for years. Polar expert Mark Brandon from the Open University said the British TV channel BBC: “A23a is the iceberg that just refuses to die.”

Diagram: An iceberg on the move – infographic

The whirlpool prevents the colossus from reaching warmer climes carried by ocean currents. Icebergs from the so-called Weddell sector, where A23a also comes from, usually drift into the South Atlantic and melt away.

Not so with A23a. It rotates about 15 degrees anti-clockwise every day, and one round takes 24 days. The last dance of a giant who doesn't want to die.