n late February 2008, an ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula disintegrated into a floating pile of massive ice bergs, smaller ice fragments, and slush that was trapped in place by freezing sea water over subsequent weeks. This highly detailed image from the Taiwanese Formosat-2 satellite shows the different sizes, shapes, and textures of the ice fragments on March 8, 2008.
Published Mar 28, 2008
Wave action and glacial dynamics split another chunk of ice off of the Antarctic Peninsula in March 2013.
Published May 25, 2013
This pair of satellite images shows the dramatic retreat of the Crane Glacier between 2002 and 2003, following the collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf.
Published Apr 8, 2010
In January 2020, a vast area of melt formed on the surface of the ice shelf west of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Published Jan 23, 2020
When this closely watched slab of floating ice births a giant iceberg, it will not be the first time it has seen dramatic change.
Published Feb 7, 2017Image of the Day Heat Land Water Snow and Ice Sea and Lake Ice
A floating shelf of ice attached to the coast of Antarctica appears ready to shed an iceberg into the Southern Ocean.
Published Mar 10, 2016
Ghostly blue-green in Antarctica’s Mackenzie Bay likely owes its existence to a complicated mix of cold temperatures and changing water pressure.
Published Feb 23, 2012
A rift along the Larsen C Ice Shelf grew longer during the Antarctic winter.
Published Sep 8, 2016Image of the Day Snow and Ice Remote Sensing Sea and Lake Ice
Cracks growing across the ice shelf are poised to release an iceberg about twice size of New York City.
Published Feb 19, 2019
This approximately true-color image shows ice fragments left over from previous breakups of the Wilkins Ice Shelf.
Published Apr 19, 2009
Ice shelves are thick slabs of ice that are attached to coastlines and extend out over the ocean. In the natural course of events, ice shelves often calve large icebergs. On February 28, 2008, however, the Wilkins Ice Shelf rapidly disintegrated into small pieces.
Published Mar 27, 2008
Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery analyzed at the University of Colorado’s National Snow and Ice Data Center revealed that the northern section of the Larsen B ice shelf, a large floating ice mass on the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula, has shattered and separated from the continent. This particular image was taken on March 5, 2002.
Published Mar 20, 2002
On August 13, 2005, the Ayles Ice Shelf on Ellesmere Island in northern Canada broke away from the island and floated out to sea. According to news reports, the break took less than an hour, and Luke Copland, director of the University of Ottawa’s Laboratory for Cryospheric Research, described the break as evidence of the Arctic’s rapid response to warming temperatures. The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite observed the area before and after the ice shelf breakup.
Published Jan 13, 2007
Rifts form a triple junction along the edge of a giant loose tooth in East Antarctica.
Published Feb 12, 2012
