London: The fragile marine ecosystems of Antarctica are facing a growing risk from icebergs floating freely in coastal waters due to global warming, a research has suggested.

A group of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) has found that while iceberg scour is a natural phenomenon, the rate of destruction is increasing as a warmer climate shrinks the winter sea ice that would otherwise lock the bergs in.
"The whole balance of the ecosystem could be affected, with consequences that are very difficult to predict,' said Dan Smale, who led the study.