Massive Antarctic Iceberg Splits: McMurdo Station Further Blocked

TERRADAILY

NASA satellite images confirm that a 100-mile long iceberg in the Ross Sea, known as B-15A, split in two. University of Wisconsin-Madison scientists were among the first to notice the fracture that created two giant icebergs. Since B-15A first broke off the Antarctic's Ross Ice Shelf in 2000, the enormous iceberg has been trapping sea ice near Ross Island, home to McMurdo Station, one of the main U.S. scientific outposts in the Antarctic. The trapped ice has made shipping and the delivery of fuel and supplies to McMurdo increasingly difficult. These images come from NASA's Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites, Oct. 7 and 9, 2003.

McMurdo Station - Oct 20, 2003
In what could be a boom or a bust for some Antarctic shipping, a massive, 100-mile long iceberg known as B-15A has split in two, satellite photos have confirmed.

Monitoring the Antarctic ice using NASA's Terra satellite, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) were among the first to notice the fracture creating two giant icebergs in the Ross Sea, due south of New Zealand.

Since B-15A first broke off the Antarctic's Ross Ice Shelf in 2000, the enormous iceberg has been trapping sea ice near Ross Island, home to McMurdo Station, one of the main U.S. scientific outposts in the Antarctic. The trapped ice has made shipping and the delivery of fuel and supplies to McMurdo increasingly difficult.

The splitting of B-15A, according to Matthew Lazzara, a meteorologist at SSEC's Antarctic Meteorological Research Center, could help clear the trapped ice near McMurdo, or it could compound the problem, making it even more difficult for ships to traverse the Ross Sea.

"It's been kind of stuck in this location for almost two years and the sea ice behind it has been growing thicker instead of dispersing as it usually does," Lazzara says. "It will be interesting to see if it goes away and creates fewer problems or if it makes it even harder to get ships to McMurdo."

With support from the National Science Foundation, scientists from UW-Madison and the University of Chicago have together been studying the massive iceberg. Three remotely operated weather stations have been placed on the iceberg by UW-Madison scientists and a Wisconsin team is now in the Antarctic preparing to deploy seismic equipment to the iceberg and perform routine maintenance and repair on the automated weather stations.

"The data we're collecting, we hope, will give us some clues about why these things behave as they do," explains Lazzara. "Using the data we collect, and the models developed at the University of Chicago, we hope to get a better understanding of the life cycle of these very large icebergs."

The intact B-15A iceberg was an estimated 90 to 100 miles long. The now-split iceberg has divided into two, with one berg about 75 miles long, and the other an estimated 20-25 miles in length.

TERRADAILY

Huge Antarctic Iceberg Makes A Big Splash On Sea Life

Greenbelt - Oct 02, 2003
NASA satellites have observed the calving, or breaking off, of one of the largest icebergs ever recorded. Named "C-19" - the iceberg separated from the western face of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in May 2002, splashed into the Ross Sea, and virtually eliminated a valuable food source for marine life. The event was unusual, because it was the second-largest iceberg to calve in the region in 26 months.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.