The world's largest iceberg is heading towards British territory
Iceberg A68, drifting in the waters of the South Atlantic, is approaching the British overseas territory, namely the island of South Georgia. The ice block, which was recognized as the largest on the planet, is comparable in size to the island itself, according to BBC News.
Scientists fear that the iceberg could get stuck near Georgia and thus pose a threat to local colonies of seals and penguins. So, he will prevent them from looking for food and feeding their young. In addition, the block will inevitably crush many creatures living on the seabed. According to experts, the iceberg can remain off the coast of South Georgia for at least ten years, and this will have a significant impact on local ecosystems.
The British Overseas Territory is a kind of “iceberg graveyard”. Ice “giants” leave Antarctica, caught up by strong currents, and often cling to the shallows of the continental shelf surrounding remote islands. Over time, due to warmer waters, they shrink and melt.
The A68 has been floating free since 2017. It is now only a few hundred kilometers from British waters.
The area of the iceberg reaches 4200 square kilometers, and its weight is hundreds of billions of tons. But at the same time, due to its flat shape, it is submerged in water only 200 meters. Scientists note that the iceberg is able to reach the coast of the island.
The block of ice will prevent penguins and seals from foraging in the water. They will have to travel long distances to get to the open ocean, which means they may not have time to return to their cubs in time, and they will die.
Something similar already happened in 2004, when a huge iceberg A38 approached South Georgia. At that time, countless numbers of dead penguin chicks and baby seals were found on local beaches.
Earlier it was reported that a flotilla of icebergs broke away from the largest ice shelf in the Arctic. This fact was associated with rapid climate change.
