A new iceberg about the size of a small island has calved from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, announced the National Ice Center today. It is not entering any shipping lanes.

The iceberg, named B-18 and measuring about 4 miles wide and 11 miles long, calved on April 2 and has moved slightly westward since detaching from the Ross Ice Shelf. B-18 is located in the vicinity of Latitude 78 degrees, 03 minutes South; Longitude 159 degrees 22 minutes West.The National Ice Center, located in Suitland, Maryland, is a tri-agency operational activity with representation from the U.S. Navy, NOAA, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The center tracks icebergs using remotely sensed data provided in-part by satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Defense. Its mission is to provide world-wide operational sea ice analyses and forecasts tailored to meet the requirements of U.S. national interests. 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 to 90 degrees West longitude (Bellinghausen/Weddell Sea)
• B = 90 West to 180 (Amundsen/Eastern Ross Sea)
• C = 180 to 90 East (Western Ross Sea/Wilkesland)
• D = 90 East to 0 (Amery/Eastern Weddell Sea)

When an iceberg is first sighted, the National Ice Center documents its point of origin. The letter of the quadrant, along with a sequential number, is assigned to the iceberg. For example, A-38 is the 38th iceberg the ice center has found in the Antarctica in Quadrant A.