Wall of ice the size of Rhode Island heading toward penguin-packed island off Antarctica

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The world's largest iceberg, measuring as big as the state of Rhode Island, is slowly moving towards a distant island in Antarctica that is inhabited by millions of penguins and seals.

A giant ice slab, called a megaberg, weighing a trillion tons, could crash into South Georgia Island. It might become stuck or be swirled around by ocean currents. If it gets stranded, feeding penguin babies could be a challenge, and some chicks might even risk starvation. Nonetheless, researchers don't anticipate any serious damage from the A23a iceberg.

Scientists claim the event is more extraordinary than hazardous.

This is a natural process that's happening more often due to human-caused climate change, said British Antarctic Survey physical oceanographer Andrew Meijers.

The iceberg itself is enormous and stretches as far as the eye can see," Meijers said Thursday about the 130-foot (40-meter) tall mass. "It's a massive wall, a Game of Thrones type of wall of ice that towers above the ship. With some waves crashing against it and if you catch a glimpse of sunshine through the mist, it's really awe-inspiring.

According to Meijers, for every bit of the iceberg that's visible above the water's surface, there's ten times more hidden below.

The glacier's movement is quite slow. It's advancing at a pace of about one meter every three to seven seconds, which is much slower than one mile per hour, according to Meijers.

In the next two to four weeks, the iceberg is expected to approach South Georgia where the water will become shallower, possibly getting stuck, or it could pass by.

“Large icebergs continually crash into the coastal reefs surrounding South Georgia Island with frequency,” University of Colorado ice scientist Ted Scambos wrote in an email. “This ocean current course has been well-documented since the days of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, he explained, referring to the famous British explorer who led expeditions to Antarctica. Shackleton managed to reach the island in just three weeks. “Typically, however, the icebergs take a bit longer to travel along this route (he relied on sails),” he stated.

According to Meijers, the big iceberg will eventually break apart into smaller pieces and melt like typical icebergs do.

At full size, it doesn't pose a big threat to fishermen in the area since they can see it. The larger concern is actually about penguins, which are in their summer breeding season, according to Meijers.

South Georgia is an incredibly ecologically diverse island. It's a prime breeding ground for an enormous number of penguins and seals," said Meijers. "There's a large number of pups and chicks, and they're all still reliant on their parents."

The parents venture quite far out into the water to forage. Icebergs can block their path to food, forcing the adults to swim further, which increases energy expenditure, resulting in less food being brought back to the babies. "Unfortunately, this can dramatically increase mortality rates. And it's happened before," Meijers said.

That's concerning for that particular colony, but it doesn't signify a major issue for the overall penguin population, Scambos said.

“He noted that the entire Southern Ocean ecosystem has developed a remarkable ability to withstand these events. The region's environments have adapted to the presence of icebergs for hundreds of thousands of years.”

This iceberg first broke apart in 1986, but had remained stuck in a crowded region of sea ice for many years until a few years ago, according to Meijers.

Breaking off of icebergs from glaciers is normal, but they're happening more often as the climate warms and more freshwater flows into the ocean, Meijers said.

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