A colossal iceberg equivalent to the size of Singapore has broken away from the Antarctic and is currently being tracked based on ocean currents and winds to avoid disrupting international sea routes.

This massive iceberg recently detached from the South Pole and is being monitored using ocean currents and wind patterns to ensure it doesn't pose a threat to maritime traffic

It took two years for this massive iceberg to break away from the Pine Island Glacier due to a gigantic rift first detected by NASA's IceBridge program in October 2011.

Measuring 720 km2, equivalent to the area of the nation-state Singapore, this iceberg was spotted by the TerraSAR-X satellite, an Earth observation satellite operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

According to scientists, strong winds coupled with warming temperatures in the southern hemisphere have accelerated the separation of icebergs from the continent. Dr. Grant Bigg, an oceanographer at the University of Sheffield in England, informed LiveScience that the latest satellite images indicate the gap between the iceberg and the glacier has widened to several kilometers.

This gigantic ice mass is predicted to pose minimal danger as it drifts from the western Antarctic to the Drake Passage, near Cape Horn on the southern tip of South America.

Grant Bigg has just received funding to monitor drifting icebergs to prevent disruption to international shipping lanes. He and his colleagues have a program predicting the path of drifting icebergs based on ocean currents and winds.

Giant icebergs from the Pine Island Glacier often break into multiple pieces. Grant Bigg further explains that monitoring and forecasting large icebergs will benefit the shipping industry, especially large vessels frequenting the region's waters.

Several smaller ice floes have now broken off to the west of the giant iceberg as it moves over the past few days.

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Source: Travel Handbook Mytour – Via Vnexpress