Scientists say collapse of world’s largest iceberg could kill penguins
The world’s largest iceberg A23a, with an area of about 3.5 thousand square metres (more than twice the size of London) and a height of 400m, may collapse if it collides with the similarly sized Antarctic island of South Georgia, leading to the death of groups of king penguins and seals, TASS reports
British scientists reported that at the moment the iceberg is 280km from South Georgia and is being driven by the current towards its shores. If the iceberg breaks up near the island, its large pieces will block penguins and seals from reaching their usual feeding grounds and will remain there ‘for many years’.
The destruction and melting of the glacier may also affect the physical and chemical parameters of the water off the coast of South Georgia. Ice is not made up of water that people are used to drinking. It contains many chemical and nutrient elements as well as small organisms like phytoplankton.
