ANTARCTIC ICEBERG SPLITS INTO THREE MORE

Nov. 4, 2005 � An iceberg about the size of the Hawaiian island of Maui has split into three pieces in the frigid Antarctic waters, the National Ice Center reported this week. Using satellite imagery from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, the NIC discovered that the larger iceberg, named B-15A, calved into three smaller icebergs � B-15M, B-15N and B-15P. Two of the larger icebergs (B-15M and B-15N) are about the size of Grand Cayman and St. Croix, respectively. (Click satellite image for larger view of calved iceberg B-15M � along with icebergs B-15P and B-15N � as seen on Oct. 31, 2005. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “DMSP.”)

The new icebergs mark the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth times that a portion of B-15 has calved, since the first calving event observed on May 30, 2000.

Iceberg names are derived from the Antarctic quadrant where they are first sighted. When they are first spotted, the NIC documents an iceberg's point of origin. The iceberg is assigned the letter of the quadrant, along with the sequential number. (Click satellite image for larger view of iceberg B-15A on Oct. 27, 2005, before it calved. Click here for high resolution version. Please credit “DMSP.”)

Located in Suitland, Md., the National Ice Center is a tri-agency operational center, represented by NOAA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. The NIC mission is to provide worldwide operational ice analyses for the armed forces of the United States and allied nations, U.S. government agencies and the private shipping and oil industries.

NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources.

Relevant Web Sites
National Ice Center

NOAA Antarctic Photos

Media Contact:
John Leslie, NOAA Satellites and Information Service, (301) 457-5005