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Iceberg A-23A has had a more eventful run than most of the large Antarctic icebergs that have calved from the continent’s ice shelves in recent decades. Over its winding, forty-plus-year journey, the “megaberg” spent decades grounded in the Weddell Sea before drifting north, twirling in an ocean vortex for months, and nearly colliding with an island in 2025.

By 2026, the iconic iceberg, sopping with meltwater and shedding smaller bergs as it moved into warmer ocean waters, put on one more show. The chunks of ice and frigid glacial meltwater left in its wake appear to have fueled a surge in phytoplankton abundance, known as a bloom, observed in surface waters by NASA satellites.

Phytoplankton, which harvest sunlight to carry out photosynthesis, form the base of the marine food web. They also produce up to half of the oxygen on Earth and serve as part of the ocean’s “biological carbon pump,” which transfers carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the deep ocean.

The VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this image (left) of the splintering tabular berg on January 25, 2026. The image was acquired after several large pieces had drifted northwestward and then curled toward the northeast following the iceberg breaking apart on January 9. A debris field full of brash ice, small icebergs, and bergy bits was visible east of the largest remaining pieces. Also on January 25, the OCI (Ocean Color Instrument) on NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) satellite detected plumes of chlorophyll-a (right) drifting around the remaining bergs and debris field. Researchers use chlorophyll concentrations as a marker of phytoplankton abundance.

“This bloom is too big and too clearly spreading from the icebergs not to be strongly linked to them,” said Grant Bigg, an emeritus oceanographer at the University of Sheffield. Bigg, who has studied how large icebergs have enhanced phytoplankton activity in this region, noted that while blooms unconnected to icebergs do occur regularly here, satellite imagery shows a connection that has persisted for weeks—increasing his confidence that the iceberg and phytoplankton bloom are related.

The primary factors that limit phytoplankton in this region are access to light and nutrients, explained Heidi Dierssen, an oceanographer at the University of Connecticut. Light can be limiting even in the summer because phytoplankton are often mixed too deeply in the water column due to high winds and turbulence.

Melting icebergs can boost phytoplankton by both creating a stable surface layer with favorable growth conditions and releasing plumes of meltwater rich in iron—a key nutrient for phytoplankton that can be scarce in this part of the South Atlantic, she said. Research indicates that icebergs also often contain significant amounts of manganese and macronutrients, such as nitrates and phosphates, that can benefit phytoplankton. These nutrients often accumulate on icebergs through windblown dust or through contact with bedrock or soil.

The Landsat 8 image above, captured by the OLI (Operational Land Imager) on January 25, 2026, shows blue meltwater pooling on several of the larger fragments. The linear patterns are likely related to striations that were etched hundreds of years ago when the ice was part of a glacier moving across Antarctic bedrock. Brown staining, perhaps soil or sediment, is visible on some of the bergs.

Bigg also noted that the phytoplankton signal appears to be more concentrated near the smaller bergs, possibly because these are melting faster, releasing nutrient-rich material at a higher rate. Dierssen added that it’s also possible that chlorophyll concentrations may be higher near the largest bergs than they appear because algorithms sometimes overcorrect for “adjacency effects” near bright surfaces, like ice, when processing chlorophyll data.

Ivona Cetinić, a researcher on NASA’s PACE science team, checked a database for clues about the smallest, or “pico,” phytoplankton swirling around the bergs. The tool, called MOANA (Multiple Ordination ANAlysis), taps into hyperspectral satellite observations of ocean color from PACE.

MOANA indicated that picoeukaryotic phytoplankton—microscopic eukaryotic organisms that respond quickly to changes in temperature or nutrient availability—were thriving in these waters when the image was captured. The swirls to the west of the berg were made of a slightly larger group of cyanobacteria called Synechococcus, she said. The PACE team is currently developing additional tools that will help identify communities of larger types of phytoplankton, which were likely present as well.

Some research suggests that icebergs may have contributed significantly to phytoplankton blooms in this region in recent years, possibly accounting for up to one-fifth of the Southern Ocean’s total carbon sequestration. Other research teams have concluded that surface waters trailing icebergs were about one-third more likely to have increased amounts of phytoplankton compared to background levels.  

How long iceberg A-23A will enhance phytoplankton productivity before and after disintegrating completely remains an open question. NASA scientists watching the berg say it continued to shrink and shed mass in February, but as of March 3, 2026, it remained just slightly above the size threshold required for naming and tracking by the U.S. National Ice Center.

Past research indicates that icebergs can sustain elevated chlorophyll concentrations for more than a month after passing through in trails that stretch for hundreds of kilometers. Icebergs and the blooms surrounding them have also been known to attract fish, seabirds, and other types of marine life, highlighting the important ecological role they play.   

NASA Earth Observatory images by Michala Garrison, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership, PACE data from the NASA Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center OB.DAAC, and Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story Adam Voiland.

References & Resources

• Duprat, L. et al. (2016) Enhanced Southern Ocean marine productivity due to fertilization by giant icebergs. Nature Geoscience, 9, 219-221.
• Eos (2016, January 15) Icebergs Fertilize Southern Ocean, Sequester Carbon. Accessed March 5, 2026.
• Knowable Magazine (2018, March 15) The base of the iceberg: It’s big and teeming with life. Accessed March 5, 2026.
• Krause, J. et al. (2024) The macronutrient and micronutrient (iron and manganese) content of icebergs. The Cryosphere, 18, 5735-5752.
• Lucas, N., et al. (2025) Giant iceberg meltwater increases upper-ocean stratification and vertical mixing. Nature Geoscience, 18, 305-312.
• NASA (2026) Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem. Accessed March 5, 2026.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2026, January 8) Meltwater Turns Iceberg A-23A Blue. Accessed March 5, 2026.
• NASA Earth Observatory (2025, September 25) A Giant Iceberg’s Final Drift. Accessed March 5, 2026.
• Raiswell, R., et al. (2008) Bioavailable iron in the Southern Ocean: the significance of the iceberg conveyor belt. Geochemical Transitions, 9, 7.
• Schwarz, J.N. & Schodlok, M.P. (2009) Impact of drifting icebergs on surface phytoplankton biomass in the Southern Ocean: Ocean colour remote sensing and in situ iceberg tracking. Oceanographic Research Papers, 56(10), 1727-1741.
• Wu, S. & Hou, S. (2017) Impact of icebergs on net primary productivity in the Southern Ocean. The Cryosphere, 11, 707-722

The Air Traffic Management and Safety (ATMS) project defines, validates, and transfers advanced requirements and technologies to shift air traffic management from tactical to strategic. 

This change enables efficient, productive, and resilient operations while reducing safety assurance and compliance costs for highly automated systems.  

ATMS researches and develops technologies that safely integrate new air vehicles with traditional aviation operations to meet growing demand. Through close collaboration with the FAA, ATMS delivers actionable automation solutions, advanced operational concepts, and proactive safety management frameworks that accelerate airspace modernization. 

ATMS strengthens system resilience and expands human capacity by reducing cognitive workload, minimizing airline delays, and lowering operating costs while enhancing terminal safety and optimizing operational performance. 

ATMS tackles barriers in the increasingly complex and diverse airspace by focusing its research on three areas: 

Strategic Harmonization for Integrated Flows and Trajectories

The National Airspace System (NAS) is evolving toward greater complexity and demand. Current tactical approaches limit scalability, efficiency, and predictability. ATMS research represents a paradigm change—from reactive, tactical decision-making to proactive, strategic management of traffic flows and trajectories. 

Safely Enable Routine Autonomous Operations 

Advancements in automation can reduce human workload, mitigate hazards, and enable new entrants across advanced air mobility. Critical gaps—in hazard perception and avoidance, seamless ATC integration, and flight procedures—still pose safety and operational risks. Without ATMS’ targeted research, autonomous taxi, approach, and landing will remain fragmented and heavily human-dependent, limiting efficiency and innovation. 

Assurance Methods for Aircraft Automation

The aviation community is converging on assurance approaches that balance trust, evidence, and scalability. To ensure innovation and adoption of key automation capabilities, ATMS helps to define explicit safety objectives and meaningful notions of traceability across development and operations. Scaled adoption requires assurance processes that integrate design and operational assurance, so that requirements flow down to models, scenarios, analysis, test cases and metrics—and that these generate traceable, reusable evidence and operational outcomes. 

ATMS delivers practical solutions that benefit every stakeholder in the aviation ecosystem—from air traffic controllers and pilots to passengers and operators—ensuring America ‘s skies remain the safest and most efficient in the world.  

The Advanced Air Mobility Pathfinders (AAMP) project accelerates advanced air mobility technologies for wildfire response and urban transportation through real-world demonstrations and strategic partnerships.

AAMP researches emerging technologies, establishes aircraft strategic deconfliction frameworks, and validates solutions in metropolitan areas to enable larger-scale urban air mobility.

The project enhances Unmanned Aircraft Systems capabilities for wildfire mitigation and disaster response by transferring Portable Airspace Management System technologies to enable routine, safe, and efficient Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations.

AAMP delivers scalable technologies, integration standards, and coordination tools that drive industry adoption and improve multi-agency collaboration for emergency response. 

More AAMP details

The project is dedicated to demonstrating and validating the safe and practical integration of advanced air mobility technologies. We focus on developing, evaluating, and transferring performance requirements for:  

Portable Airspace Management System — To enable safe, scalable, and continuous (24/7) aerial operations, especially in challenging degraded visual environments. 

Airspace Service Providers — Managing medium-density advanced air mobility operations, aligning with the AAM National Strategy.  

 Our goal is to ensure these systems are ready for real-world use in emergency operations as well as urban transportation. AAMP actively collaborates with government agencies, academia, and industry stakeholders. These partnerships are vital for validating the safe and effective performance of these new technologies. 

This, in turn, enables safe, practical, and resilient urban air mobility operations. AAMP bridges the gap between research and implementation, making Advanced Air Mobility a trusted solution for everyday transportation and life-saving missions across the United States.  

The Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP) accelerates the transformation of the National Airspace System (NAS) to meet the variety, density, and complexity of future airspace users. Our mission is to ensure that U.S. skies remain safe, innovative, and globally competitive while enabling Advanced Air Mobility and next-generation aviation technologies. 

 AOSP partners with the FAA, industry, academia, and other government agencies to ensure seamless integration of emerging technologies and new entrants into the NAS. Together, we are shaping a future where innovation and safety go hand in hand. 

How AOSP Accelerates Transformation 

• Develop and Scale Capabilities 
  Advance airspace operations through automation, data-driven decision-making, and prognostic technologies that support NAS modernization. 

• Enable Advanced Air Mobility
  Develop airspace concepts, standards, and validation tools that enable integration of new air vehicle operations at scale. 
• Digitize and Automate
  Leveraging digital information and automation that enhance safety, efficiency, and operational capacity across the NAS. 
• Advance Wildfire Emergency Aerial Response
  Develop technologies and operational concepts that enable safe, efficient aerial emergency response to wildfires. 

Why It Matters 

AOSP’s work delivers tangible benefits for passengers, operators, and the aviation industry: 

• Fewer Airline Delays
  Streamlined operations reduce congestion and improve on-time performance. 

• Lower Operating Costs
  Efficiency gains translate into cost savings for airlines and operators. 

• Reduced Controller Workload
  Automation and predictive tools ease the burden on air traffic controllers. 

• Improved Passenger Experience
  Faster, more reliable travel increases the value of time for travelers. 

• Economic Growth & U.S. Leadership
  Driving innovation in drones and Advanced Air Mobility strengthens U.S. competitiveness. 

• Enhanced Safety
  Every initiative is rooted in our unwavering commitment to safe integration of new technologies. 

As aviation evolves, AOSP stands at the forefront—championing a future where Advanced Air Mobility, automation, and safety converge to create a smarter, more capable airspace for all users.  

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility supported a Rocket Lab HASTE suborbital launch from the company’s Launch Complex 2 in Virginia on Feb. 27, 2026. The mission, called Cassowary Vex, supported a flight of a hypersonic test platform for the Department of War’s Defense Innovation Unit. 

The NASA Wallops launch range supported by providing services such as tracking, telemetry, and range safety to ensure a safe and successful mission. NASA Wallops plays a key role in enabling national security missions at its launch range for commercial partners and other government agencies. 

Image Credit: NASA/ Danielle Johnson

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