PHOTO The Brunt Ice Shelf before and after iceberg calving (Source: modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2022-23) processed by ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO) © ANSA/Ansa New images of the iceberg calving on March 22 Detached from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica on January 1, come from the eyes of Europe’s Sentinel satellites from Copernicus, the Earth observation program managed by the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA): The photos captured show the extent of the new iceberg , 1,550 square kilometers in area, five times the size of the island of Malta and around 150 meters thick. The huge chunk of ice broke loose after the fracture known as Chasm-1 extended fully north: The fracture had been under control since early 2012, when it showed signs of activity after decades of dormancy, and it was only a matter of time before before meeting the Halloween One (so named because it was first seen on Halloween 2016).
The new iceberg will likely be named A-81, while the smaller piece to the north will be identified as A-81A or A-82. “After several years of monitoring, the long-awaited separation of the A81 iceberg has finally taken place,” comments ESA’s Mark Drinkwater. Combining the images taken by Sentinel-2 in the summer – adds Drinkwater – with those taken by Sentinel-1’s radar in the winter and the rest of the year made it possible to follow the whole process in detail.”
The calving of the iceberg could now influence the behavior of the remnants of the Brunt Ice Shelf and other existing cracks, leading to an acceleration of ice flow towards the sea: “We will continue to use the capabilities of the Copernicus satellites – concludes Mark Drinkwater – to monitor the behavior and to closely monitor the stability of the platform”.
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