Greater London-sized iceberg may hit shipping and wildlife soon, scientists warn

Researchers are currently tracking two large icebergs- one named the A81 – the size of Greater London – and one the A76a, which is even larger, BBC reported.

Scientists fear that an iceberg- which is as big as the size of Greater London- could soon hit shipping, fishing and wildlife, it has been reported. Researchers are currently tracking two large icebergs- one named the A81 – the size of Greater London – and one the A76a, which is even larger, BBC reported.

The A76a iceberg originated from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in May 2021. (Representational)

Talking of the A76a iceberg, professor Geraint Tarling told BBC, "It was directly in our path as we sailed home so we took 24 hours out to go around it. We got in quite close in some places, and had a really good view of it. We collected water from around the berg using special non-contaminated pipes under the ship, so we’ve got lots of samples to study."

The A76a iceberg originated from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in May 2021 and is now being carried by currents and winds towards the Falklands and South Georgia, the report claimed.

Dr Mark Belchier, the director of fisheries and environment with the government for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands said, "Although the tourist season is coming to an end, our fisheries operate during the winter months so it may impact on their operations.@

“It does have the potential to cause localised issues for some of our wildlife, although that’s likely to be less of an issue if it breaks up over winter when most animals can forage over greater distances and don’t have to keep returning to land to feed young - or have moved away from the island completely”, professor Belchier added.