The largest iceberg in the world is moving a course in a collision with remote islands in the Atlantic Ocean. This puts the lives of local animals at risk. The region is known for its biodiversity, which surpasses even the biodiversity of the Galapagos Islands, reports Science Alert.

At the moment, iceberg A23a is located 280 kilometers from South Georgia and nearby islands. If it runs aground, it could endanger the lives of millions of seals, penguins and marine species found nowhere else in the world.

[see_also ids \u003d "

This is not the first time a giant iceberg has endangered the lives of animals in the region.. So, in 2004, part of the iceberg, known as the A38-B, stuck off the coast of South Georgia for several months, blocked with penguins and seals access to the places of feeding.

A23A broke away from the film-rhone glacier in 1986. For the first few decades of its “freedom” it remained in place until in 2020 it began moving towards the Southern Ocean, breaking “free” in 2023. But last year he was trapped. Last December, the iceberg began its journey again.

It is known that icebergs can have a huge impact on the levels of carbon and nutrients in the water as they melt, which, in turn, affects food chains and water life. The fact that the A23A remained locked in the sea of \u200b\u200bWedel for more than 30 years is largely slowed down by his melting. After the iceberg began moving in 2023, British Antarctic Survey (BAS) scientists were able to collect samples and study the impact on the ecosystem.

The BAS team predicts that winds and currents will carry A23a into the Southern Ocean, following the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, bringing it closer to an area known as "

Given the scale of the A23A, it is difficult to predict what the consequences of its melting will be when it reaches warmer water, but past studies have shown that an increase in iron content as a result of glazing can increase the level of phytoplankton, for example, by tracing part CO2 from the atmosphere from the atmosphere.

"

Recall that in the fall, another large iceberg, A-83 began its movement. It separated from the Brunt Ice Shelf in May 2024 and has been trapped in dense sea ice for a long time.