The world's largest iceberg is on track to collide with a remote British island, which could endanger penguins and seals there, the BBC reported, BTA reported.
The iceberg is moving north from Antarctica towards South Georgia, a rugged British territory and wildlife refuge, where it could crash into the ground and break into pieces. It is currently 280 kilometers from the island. Countless birds and seals have died in the icy bays and beaches of South Georgia when giant icebergs prevented them from feeding, the BBC notes.
"Icebergs are inherently dangerous. "I would be extremely happy if it just passed us," Captain Simon Wallace told the BBC, speaking from the ship “Faros”, which is in South Georgia. A group of scientists, sailors and fishermen around the world are anxiously checking satellite images to track the daily movement of this giant iceberg.
It is known as A23a and is one of the oldest in the world. It broke away from the Filchner Ice Shelf in Antarctica in 1986, but became stuck on the seabed and then became trapped in an ocean vortex.
Finally, in December, it broke free and is now on its final journey. Warmer waters north of Antarctica are melting and weakening the huge ice mass, which rises to a height of up to 400 meters. It once covered 3,900 square kilometers. km, but recent satellite images show that it has already shrunk to about 3,500 sq. km.