Huge, iconic iceberg turns blue and is ‘on the verge of completely disintegrating,’ says NASA

One of the largest and oldest icebergs ever tracked by scientists has turned blue and is “on the verge of completely disintegrating,” NASA announced Thursday.

A23aA massive wall of ice that was once twice the size of Rhode Island is bathed in blue meltwater as it drifts in the South Atlantic off the eastern tip of South America, NASA said in a statement. press release.

A NASA satellite captured an image of the endangered berg on Boxing Day, showing pools of blue melt water on its surface. A day later, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station took a photo showing a close-up view of the iceberg, with an even larger melt pool.

The satellite image suggests A23a also “caused a leak”, NASA said, as the weight of water accumulated at the top of the berg pushed through the ice.

Scientists say all signs indicate the so-called “megaberg” could be days or weeks away from totally disintegrating, as it rides currents that push it toward even warmer waters. Warmer air temperatures this season could also accelerate the disappearance of A23a in an area that ice experts have dubbed a “graveyard” for icebergs.

“I certainly don’t expect A-23A to last through the southern summer,” retired University of Maryland and Baltimore County scientist Chris Shuman said in a statement.

The blue and white linear patterns visible on A23a are likely related to striations, which are ridges that were eroded hundreds of years ago, when the iceberg was part of Antarctica’s bedrock, NASA said.

“The streaks formed parallel to the flow direction, which ultimately created subtle ridges and valleys at the top of the iceberg that now direct the flow of meltwater,” said Walt Meier, senior research scientist at the National Snow & Ice Data Center.

When the iceberg broke away from Antarctica in 1986, it measured about 4,000 square kilometers and was home to a Soviet research station. It remained stuck for more than 30 years before finally breaking free in 2020, its slow journey north sometimes hampered by ocean forces that halted its movement.

In 2023, the British Antarctic Survey published a time-lapse of satellite imagesshowing the movement of the iceberg. In January 2025, it was on a collision course with an isolated penguin colony, but fortunately this had no impact.

Last summer, several large chunks of ice broke off the A23a as it headed towards relatively warm summer conditions. According to current estimates According to the United States National Ice Center, as of early January 2026, the area of ​​the berg is 1,182 square kilometers, still larger than New York City but a fraction of its original size.

“I’m incredibly grateful that we had the satellite resources in place that allowed us to track it and document its evolution so closely,” Shuman said. “The A-23A faces the same fate as other Antarctic icebergs, but its journey has been remarkably long and eventful. It’s hard to believe it won’t be with us much longer.”