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NOAA 02-026 CONTACT: Patricia Viets, NOAA FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (301) 457-5005 March 18, 2002 ENS Christi Montgomery(301) 457-5303 Ext. 306 liaison@natice.noaa.gov
The National Ice Center (NIC) confirms an iceberg newly calved from the Thwaites Ice Tongue, a large sheet of glacial ice and snow extending from the Antarctic mainland into the southern Amundsen Sea. This new iceberg, named B-22, is currently located at 74.56S/ 107.55W. Iceberg B-22, roughly 46NM long and 35NM wide, covers an area of approximately 2,120 square statute miles. Dr. Ted Scambos of the National Snow and Ice Data Center notified NIC of a large crack in the Thwaites Tongue, discovered by Jennifer Bohlander using NASA's MODIS data from February 10, 2001. The crack was found to have significantly widened in MODIS data from March 8, 2001. Analyst Judy Shaffier of the National Ice Center confirmed the calving of Iceberg B22 using satellite images shown below from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's (DMSP) Operational Line Scan (OLS) Visible sensor and NOAA's AVHRR sensor. Iceberg names are derived from the Antarctic quadrant in which they were originally sighted. The quadrants are divided counter-clockwise in the following manner:
A = 0-90W (Bellinghausen/Weddell Sea) When an iceberg is first sighted, NIC documents its point of origin. The letter of the quadrant, along with a sequential number is assigned to the iceberg. For example, B-22 is sequentially the 22nd iceberg tracked by the NIC in Antarctica between 90W-180 (Quadrant B). The National Ice Center is a tri-agency operational center represented by the United States Navy (Department of Defense); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Department of Commerce); and the United States Coast Guard (Department of Transportation). The National Ice Center mission is to provide world- wide operational ice analyses for the armed forces of the United States and allied nations, U.S. government agencies, and the private sector. For an image of the iceberg, please see: http://www.natice.noaa.gov/b22icebergols.jpg 
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Last modified: Monday, 07-Apr-2008 16:00:07 UTC
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