The world's largest iceberg, named A23a, has finally started moving after being grounded on the seafloor in Antarctica for more than three decades. The colossal mass of ice broke away from the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in 1986 and quickly became lodged in the Weddell Sea floor.

Spanning an impressive 400 meters (1,312 feet) in thickness and an area of nearly 4,000 square kilometers (1,544 square miles), the A23a iceberg is more than twice the size of Greater London, which measures 1,572 square kilometers (607 square miles).

According to scientists Ella Gilbert and Oliver Marsh from the British Antarctic Survey, the iceberg has likely diminished in size enough to release its hold on the seafloor as part of the natural growth cycle of the ice shelf. This development has propelled the iceberg into motion once again.

Over the years, A23a has held the title of the "largest current iceberg" multiple times since the 1980s. However, larger but relatively shorter-lived icebergs, such as A68 in 2017 and A76 in 2021, have occasionally surpassed its size.

Currently carried by ocean currents, A23a is expected to travel eastward and is moving at a rate of approximately five kilometers (three miles) per day. While the iceberg's recent movement is seen as part of the natural processes of the ice shelf, scientists Gilbert and Marsh emphasized that climate change is profoundly impacting Antarctica's ice. The continent is losing massive quantities of ice each year due to the effects of climate change.

The movement of the A23a iceberg underscores the dynamic nature of Antarctica's ice formations and highlights the urgent need for continued research and monitoring of the region. As the world continues to grapple with the consequences of climate change, understanding the fate of these gigantic icebergs is crucial for predicting the long-term impacts on global sea levels.