World’s biggest iceberg threatens remote penguin sanctuary in Antarctica
- The iceberg split off in 2017 from Larsen Ice Shelf, which has warmed faster than any other part of Antarctica
- Thousands of King penguins live on the island, alongside Macaroni, Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins
The world’s biggest iceberg is on a collision course with a remote South Atlantic island that is home to thousands of penguins and seals, and could impede their ability to gather food, scientists said on Wednesday.
Icebergs naturally break off from Antarctica into the ocean, but climate change has accelerated the process – in this case, with potentially devastating consequences for abundant wildlife in the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia.
Shaped like a closed hand with a pointing finger, the iceberg known as A68a split off in 2017 from Larsen Ice Shelf on the West Antarctic Peninsula, which has warmed faster than any other part of Earth’s southernmost continent.
At its current rate of travel, it will take the giant ice cube – which is several times the area of Greater London – 20 to 30 days to run aground into the island’s shallow waters.
A68a is 160 kilometres (93 miles) long and 48 kilometres (30 miles) across at its widest point, but the iceberg is less than 200 metres deep, which means it could park dangerously close to the island.
