This approximately true-color image shows ice fragments left over from previous breakups of the Wilkins Ice Shelf.
Published Apr 19, 2009
Wave action and glacial dynamics split another chunk of ice off of the Antarctic Peninsula in March 2013.
Published May 25, 2013
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 narrow ice bridge connecting Charcot Island and Latady Island broke apart in April 2009.
Published Apr 8, 2009
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
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
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
Cracks growing across the ice shelf are poised to release an iceberg about twice size of New York City.
Published Feb 19, 2019
The enormous slab of ice poised to break away from the Brunt ice shelf is still hanging on.
Published Jul 3, 2019Image of the Day Land Water Unique Imagery Snow and Ice Remote Sensing
This trio of images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite shows the rapid break up of the Serson Ice Shelf between July 28 and July 31.
Published Sep 11, 2008
Acquired August 18, 2010, and August 22, 2002, these natural-color images show changes on the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf on Canada’s Ellesmere Coast.
Published Aug 27, 2010
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
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
