Melting iceberg poses risk to Thai coastline: expert

Increasing global temperatures are causing the world’s largest iceberg to melt rapidly, contributing to rising sea levels that could, in turn, accelerate the disappearance of Thailand's coastline over the next 25 years, an academic warned yesterday.

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According to Sonthi Kotchawat, an expert on health and the environment, the iceberg dubbed A23a — which has a total area of about 3,500 square kilometres, or over twice the size of Greater Bangkok — has run aground off South Georgia Island near Antarctica.

The world’s largest iceberg, which has an average thickness of about 280 metres, broke away from Antarctica back in 1986.