Rift and Calving at Larsen Ice Shelf

Scientists observed the cracking and rifting of a Delaware-sized piece of an ice shelf along the Antarctic Peninsula.
Clear Days for Iceberg Spotting
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Clear Days for Iceberg Spotting

The summer sky was unusually cloud-free when NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the Antarctic Peninsula.

Published Jan 10, 2023

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Larsen B Embayment Breaks Up
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Larsen B Embayment Breaks Up

After more than a decade fastened to the coastline, a large expanse of sea ice broke away from the Antarctic Peninsula in January 2022.

Published Feb 1, 2022

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Tracking an Antarctic Iceberg’s Epic Journey
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Tracking an Antarctic Iceberg’s Epic Journey

The long voyage of one of the planet’s largest bergs—A-68A—has come to an end.

Published Apr 21, 2021

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Antarctic Icebergs Galore
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Antarctic Icebergs Galore

The many pieces of Antarctic iceberg A-68 continue to drift near South Georgia Island.

Published Feb 12, 2021

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Pieces of Iceberg A-68A
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Pieces of Iceberg A-68A

Seawater has been cutting like a knife through an enormous Antarctic iceberg afloat in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

Published Jan 13, 2021

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Iceberg Goes With the Flow
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Iceberg Goes With the Flow

The swerving path of Antarctic iceberg A-68A is dictated by a large and powerful current.

Published Dec 23, 2020

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Iceberg Closes In on South Georgia
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Iceberg Closes In on South Georgia

Antarctic iceberg A-68A has drifted menacingly close to a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

Published Dec 14, 2020

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Iceberg A-68A Nears South Georgia
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Iceberg A-68A Nears South Georgia

Scientists watch as A-68A, currently the planet’s largest iceberg, approaches a remote island in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

Published Nov 13, 2020

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A-68A Holding it Together
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A-68A Holding it Together

The huge Antarctic iceberg has floated into warmer waters, but it is still mostly intact.

Published Apr 20, 2020

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One Year Adrift, but Not Far
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One Year Adrift, but Not Far

Iceberg A-68A has moved a relatively short distance in the year since it calved from the Larsen C Ice Shelf.

Published Jul 13, 2018

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A-68 Adrift
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A-68 Adrift

Subtle features emerge as daylight illuminates the new iceberg from the Larsen C ice shelf.

Published Sep 30, 2017

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Daylight Returns to Larsen C
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Daylight Returns to Larsen C

Scientists are getting their first sunlit looks at the massive iceberg that broke away from Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf in July 2017.

Published Sep 14, 2017

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A Fracturing Berg in the Polar Night
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A Fracturing Berg in the Polar Night

The iceberg that calved from the Larsen C ice shelf has broken into two named bergs, as well as a handful of pieces.

Published Jul 27, 2017

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Landsat Spots Birth of Iceberg A-68
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Landsat Spots Birth of Iceberg A-68

Thermal imagery shows the relative warmth between the new iceberg and the Larsen C ice shelf.

Published Jul 21, 2017

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Antarctic Ice Shelf Sheds Massive Iceberg
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Antarctic Ice Shelf Sheds Massive Iceberg

An iceberg about the size of Delaware has split off from the Larsen C ice shelf.

Published Jul 12, 2017

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A Crack of Light in the Polar Dark
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A Crack of Light in the Polar Dark

Even in the dark, there are satellite instruments that allow scientists to “see” the rift growing across Antarctica’s Larsen C ice shelf.

Published Jun 29, 2017

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The Making of an Iceberg
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The Making of an Iceberg

The impending birth of a big, new iceberg from Antarctica’s Larsen C Ice Shelf will not have an immediate effect on sea level, but it could be an indicator of future problems.

Published Apr 14, 2017

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The Most Studied Peninsula on Antarctica
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The Most Studied Peninsula on Antarctica

The northernmost arm of Antarctica is a hotspot of research because its retreating glaciers are a large contributor to sea level rise.

Published Feb 24, 2017

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Antarctica’s Changing Larsen Ice Shelf
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Antarctica’s Changing Larsen Ice Shelf

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, 2017

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Close Look at a Crack on Larsen C
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Close Look at a Crack on Larsen C

Scientists flew over a rift that’s growing across an ice shelf along the Antarctic Peninsula.

Published Dec 13, 2016

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Crack Advances Across Antarctic Ice Shelf
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Crack Advances Across Antarctic Ice Shelf

A rift along the Larsen C Ice Shelf grew longer during the Antarctic winter.

Published Sep 8, 2016

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Last Call for Larsen B
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Last Call for Larsen B

The remnant of Antarctica’s Larsen B Ice Shelf is flowing faster, becoming increasingly fragmented, and developing large cracks.

Published Jun 9, 2015

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Operation IceBridge Returns to Antarctica
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Operation IceBridge Returns to Antarctica

The MODIS instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this clear view of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Larsen Ice Shelf, and the sea ice covered waters around the region in October 2011.

Published Oct 15, 2011

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Fragments of Larsen B Ice Shelf Lingered Until 2005
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Fragments of Larsen B Ice Shelf Lingered Until 2005

Acquired in 2003, 2004,and 2005, these images show an intermittently ice-filled bay in the wake of the 2002 collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Published Apr 9, 2010

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Larsen B Ice Shelf Collapse
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Larsen B Ice Shelf Collapse

Warm summer temperatures likely caused meltwater to fill crevasses and intensify pressure within the ice sheet.

Published Apr 11, 2002

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Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica
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Larsen Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Imagery shows pools of melt water on the surface of the Larsen Ice Shelf, and drifting icebergs that have split from the shelf.

Published Jan 17, 2001

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