AssetID: 53276631
Headline: RAW VIDEO: RRS Sir David Attenborough Encounters World's Largest Iceberg On The Move
Caption: A group of British scientists have photographed and filmed the world’s largest iceberg, A23a, after it began to move again after almost four decades stuck to the ocean floor. A23a made global headlines in late November (2023) when it moved out of the Weddell Sea sector into the Southern Ocean - the first time it had budged in 37 years. It calved from the Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986, before being grounded on the seabed nearby. A23a is now likely to be swept along by the Antarctic Circumpolar Current into ‘iceberg alley’, putting it on a common iceberg trajectory towards the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Covering an expansive area of almost 4,000 sq km (1,500 sq miles), it is double the size of Greater London. A23a is not only impressive in width; its thickness is a formidable 400m (1,312 ft). To put this in perspective, Europe's tallest skyscraper, the Shard, stands at a mere 310m. Scientists aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough reached the mega-berg at the start of December - photographing the majestic block of ice. They also collected samples of seawater around A23a. New video footage shows the enormous iceberg, stretching out into the distance beyond the research vessel. Dr. Andrew Meijers, Chief Scientist aboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough and Polar Oceans Science Leader at British Antarctic Survey (BAS), says: “It is incredibly lucky that the iceberg’s route out of the Weddell Sea sat directly across our planned path, and that we had the right team aboard to take advantage of this opportunity. We’re fortunate that navigating A23a hasn’t had an impact on the tight timings for our science mission, and it is amazing to see this huge berg in person – it stretches as far as the eye can see.” The RRS Sir David Attenborough passed the iceberg as part of its planned route towards the Weddell Sea, where the team will start their intensive 10-day BIOPOLE cruise. The cruise is the first scientific mission aboard the new research ship. Aboard researchers will investigate how Antarctic ecosystems and sea ice drive global ocean cycles of carbon and nutrients. Their results will help us understand how climate change is affecting the Southern Ocean and the organisms that live there. Laura Taylor, a biogeochemist working on the BIOPOLE cruise, explained the significance of the A23a samples: “We know that these giant icebergs can provide nutrients to the waters they pass through, creating thriving ecosystems in otherwise less productive areas. What we don’t know is what difference particular icebergs, their scale, and their origins can make to that process. “We took samples of ocean surface waters behind, immediately adjacent to, and ahead of the iceberg’s route. They should help us determine what life could form around A23a, and how this iceberg and others like it impact carbon in the ocean and its balance with the atmosphere.” A23a is expected to end up in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This trajectory will direct it towards the South Atlantic along a route commonly referred to as "iceberg alley” - where it will travel until it melts in warmer waters. A23a briefly lost its title as the world's largest iceberg in 2021, but regained its record earlier this year when the previous record holder, A76, broke into three pieces. Professor Geraint Tarling, Principal Investigator on the BIOPOLE Programme and Ecosystems Science Leader at BAS, says: “Calving of icebergs from Antarctica’s ice shelves is part of the natural life cycle of glaciers. Polar ecosystems play a crucial role in regulating the balance of carbon and nutrients in the world’s oceans and are impacted by melting icebergs in numerous ways. The data being collected will improve our understanding of these processes and their sensitivity to climate change.” In addition to encountering the behemoth berg, the RRS Sir David Attenborough has another claim to fame - as the British public originally voted to name the vessel ‘Boaty McBoatface’. The joke name was overlooked in favour of naming her after the beloved British naturalist. However, one of its submersibles took on the ‘Boaty McBoatface’ moniker.
Keywords: iceberg,david attenborough,antarctica,science,photo,video,feature,news,ice,climate change
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