The world's largest iceberg that calved from the Antarctic shelf in 1986 has been drifting since. And now it has marked a journey of approximately 3218 km. Scientists have seen a significant change in its movement since 2020, before which it was stuck in a certain position for nearly three decades.

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And now, the mass, which is roughly 3,300 sq km, is drifting towards South Georgia Island. This could eventually break away and melt but raises fears that it may collide with the island and disrupt the seals and penguins from feeding their young ones. But it is unclear as to what could potentially be the outcome. If the iceberg gets closer to South Georgia, it may possibly force penguins and seals to travel around the iceberg in search of food. These are the concerns bothering researchers who are tracking its movement through satellite images.

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But since Saturday (March 1), the block of ice has been stuck about 73 km from the island. “If the iceberg stays grounded, we don’t expect it to significantly affect the local wildlife,” Andrew Meijers, an oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey, told news publication Guardian.

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“Nutrients stirred up by the grounding [of the iceberg] and from its melt may boost food availability for the whole regional ecosystem, including for charismatic penguins and seals," added Meijers.

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As per the latest data, the iceberg may not be a threat to the ships manoeuvring in the area as it is big enough to be spotted and accordingly avoided. "However, as it breaks up into smaller pieces, certain areas could become off limits to commercial fishing ships “due to the number of smaller – yet often more dangerous – bergy bits”, Meijers warns.

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