Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Medical and Hospital News .




ICE WORLD
Iceberg bigger than Guam drifting from Antarctica
by Brooks Hays
Washington (UPI) Apr 24, 2013


disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only

An iceberg -- bigger than the island of Guam and six times larger than Manhattan -- is slowly drifting away from Antarctica.

The giant chunk of ice calved from the South Pole last year, and scientists have been doing their best to track the berg's movement.

The frozen island, dubbed B31, is expected to be captured in the strong currents of the Southern Ocean, but tracking its movement will grow more difficult over the next six months as Antarctica is consumed by winter and 24-hour darkness.

A new time-lapse video, released this week by NASA, shows the iceberg's movement over the last several months. The imagery was captured by the space agency's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), an instrument featured on its Terra and Aqua satellites.

Scientists at NASA and other international agencies are interested in monitoring B31 to learn more about the movement and dynamics of an iceberg's lifecycle.

What, if any, significance the event has in connection to climate change is unclear.

"Iceberg calving is a very normal process," said Kelly Brunt, a glaciologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "However, the detachment rift, or crack, that created this iceberg was well upstream of the 30-year average calving front of Pine Island Glacier (PIG), so this a region that warrants monitoring."

Icebergs aren't only tracked for scientific purposes. Maritime agencies also want to keep tabs on B31's whereabouts, as icebergs can pose serious danger to cargo ships.

.


Related Links
Beyond the Ice Age






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





ICE WORLD
Iceberg the size of Manhattan could threaten shipping: study
Brest, France (AFP) Nov 14, 2013
An iceberg the size of Manhattan has broken off a glacier in Antarctica and could survive long enough to drift into international shipping lanes, scientists said Thursday. A team led by British scientists has been monitoring the iceberg since it broke off the Pine Island Glacier in July in a bid to predict its path and environmental impact. "An iceberg that size could survive for a year ... read more


ICE WORLD
Australia says cost not a concern in MH370 search

Everest guides abandon climbing season after deadly avalanche

Cancellations on Everest amid talks to save climbing season

Ant colonies help evacuees in disaster zones

ICE WORLD
World's First Satellite Communicator with Built-In Navigation

Russia's Glonass system fails second time in April

Facebook rolls out 'nearby friends' feature

Fifth Boeing GPS IIF Satellite Joins Global Positioning System

ICE WORLD
It's a bubble, but not as we know it

What gave us the advantage over extinct types of humans

Monkey study explores evolution of mathematic reasoning

Too many chefs: Smaller groups exhibit more accurate decision-making

ICE WORLD
Animal Kingdom Communication

Brain size linked to self-control in new animal study

Wildlife response to climate change is likely underestimated

Brain size matters when it comes to animal self-control

ICE WORLD
Catching more than fish: Ugandan town crippled by AIDS

New tool advances investigations of disease outbreaks

West Africa's Ebola outbreak prompts changes in I.Coast cuisine

Mali remains free of deadly Ebola epidemic: government

ICE WORLD
Chinese dissident who died in detention nominated for rights 'Nobel'

Thousands in China protest after officials beat vendor, passer-by: report

China court jails four anti-graft activists for protests

China is advancing Hu Yaobang reforms: state media

ICE WORLD
Vietnam says 7 killed in shooting on China border

Kidnappers demand $11 mln for Chinese tourist

Malaysia kidnappers telephone Chinese victim's family

China presses Malaysia to rescue kidnapped tourist

ICE WORLD
China manufacturing improves slightly; Beijing to open up private investment

Cyber risks can cause disruption on scale of 2008 crisis: study

China cuts reserve requirements for rural banks

China sacks state firm head amid corruption allegations




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - 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.