The melting of Iceberg A-23a
After remaining grounded for several decades, Iceberg A-23a began drifting northwards in 2024. In early 2025, it started to break up near South Georgia as it reached warmer ocean waters.
These images, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites, show the reduction in the iceberg’s size over recent months. The image on the left shows the iceberg on 3 May 2025, when A-23a had an approximate surface area of 2,850 km². The image on the right shows it on 22 January 2026, when it appears fragmented, with a reduced surface area of around 700 km². Melt ponds are visible in light blue on its surface, indicating ongoing surface melting.
Copernicus Sentinel data supports the monitoring of iceberg drift, fragmentation, and melting, contributing to improved understanding of ice-ocean interactions and their role in the changing climate.
