The RRS Sir David Attenborough, en route to Antarctica for its inaugural scientific mission, navigated the Antarctic Peninsula on Friday and came face-to-face with the world's biggest iceberg - the A23a iceberg.
Scientists aboard the research ship, led by Chief Scientist Andrew Meijers, seized the occasion to study the iceberg's surroundings. The A23a is predicted to follow the common path known as "iceberg alley," heading towards the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia.
"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," said Meijers.
The ship's team, including scientist Laura Taylor, collected ocean surface water samples to explore the impact of giant icebergs on marine ecosystems and carbon dynamics.
"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," Taylor explained.
The mammoth iceberg, three times the size of New York City and more than twice the size of Greater London, had been grounded for over three decades in the Weddell Sea before recently entering the Southern Ocean.