Scientists Fear As World’s Largest Iceberg Charges Towards Wildlife Sanctuary. Here’s What Could Unfold

The world’s largest iceberg, A23a, from Antarctica, is drifting closer toward a remote British island home to an array of animal species–penguins, seals, albatrosses, and whales, threatening their survival. The A23a stretches across 1062.22 nautical miles as of January 2025, per a U.S. National Ice Center report. To put things into perspective, the mammoth iceberg, the size of the US state of Rhode Island, is free-floating on the Atlantic Ocean after becoming untethered from the South Orkney Islands, per Earth.com

The critical information about the unprecedented movement of the A23a has alarmed scientists as the iceberg heads closer to South Georgia, known to be a wildlife haven. The British territory is embedded in the South Atlantic Ocean, with its marine ecosystem considered one of the most dense biodiversity in the world, per AdventureSmith Explorations. The iceberg’s movement was confirmed through satellite imagery in December following its split from restrictive ice depositions, with an anticipated collision with the island within the next few weeks. 

Researchers are wary of the damage the trillion-ton iceberg’s collision with South Georgia can cause to the inhabitants. The potential impact could obstruct the sustenance of life of penguins and other local wildlife. “If this happens it could seriously impede access to feeding grounds for the wildlife – seals and penguins mostly – that breed on the island,” said Dr. Andrew Meijers. He is an oceanographer with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). However, he noted that the iceberg has retained its structural integrity and has not “broken up into smaller chunks” like other megabergs. The floating slabs of ice from the berg can be a major threat to the “wildlife sanctuary” of the island and also impair nautical navigation due to its arbitrary movements. 

Presently, the A23a is entrapped in the meandered currents and is barely drifting closer to the island. But that may happen any time soon. “Our understanding of the currents suggests that it is likely to again move towards the island soon,” the researcher explained. Consequently, the massive iceberg is under intense observation to guide scientists, sailors, and fishermen about its unpredictable movements through satellite images. The GOES geostationary satellite, or the GOES-16, surveys most of North America and provides high-resolution imagery of adverse weather events, per a NESDIS report. 

According to NASA, the majority of icebergs tend to follow the same route from Antarctica, with 90% of them entering the clockwise-flowing current of the Weddell Gyre off East Antarctica. “It’s exciting to see A23a on the move again after periods of being stuck. We are interested to see if it will take the same route the other large icebergs that have calved off Antarctica have taken,” said Dr. Meijers. The icebergs then venture into the warm waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, into the Drake Passage. Captain Simon Wallace, who commands the island’s government vessel called Pharos, also witnessed the impending disaster. He explained that icebergs are “inherently” dangerous and simply hoped the A23a would not collide with the island. 

While giant icebergs floating towards South Georgia are not an uncommon occurrence, the authorities estimate the damage based on the pace of movement and size of the berg. The A23a happens to be the world’s largest, once about 1,540 square miles in area. It was born off the Filchner Ice Shelf of Antarctica in 1986 and remained static for decades until 2020, per the source.