Iceberg A-79 Calves from the Larsen-D Ice Shelf
By LTJG Jacquelyn Putnam, USN
NIC.PAO@noaa.gov
U.S. National Ice Center
March 04, 2022
SUITLAND, MD — The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) has confirmed that iceberg A-79 has calved from the Larsen-D Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea, continuing a years-long process of calving that has resulted in several named icebergs. As of March 4th, A-79 was centered at 71° 08' South and 60° 28' West and measured 9.5 nautical miles on its longest axis and 3 nautical miles on its widest axis.
The new iceberg was first spotted on March 2nd by Dr. Klaus Strübing, former director and professor at Germany’s Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH), and confirmed by USNIC Analyst Christopher Readinger using the Sentinel-1A image below.
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 (Bellingshausen/Weddell Sea)
B = 90W-180 (Amundsen/Eastern Ross Sea)
C = 180-90E (Western Ross Sea/Wilkesland)
D = 90E-0 (Amery/Eastern Weddell Sea)
When first sighted, an iceberg’s point of origin is documented by USNIC. The letter of the quadrant, along with a sequential number, is assigned to the iceberg. For example, C-19 is sequentially the 19th iceberg tracked by USNIC in Antarctica between 180-90E (Quadrant C).
Icebergs with letter suffixes have calved from already named icebergs, where the letters are added in sequential order. For example, C-19D is the 4th iceberg to calve off the original C-19 iceberg.
Iceberg positions are analyzed weekly and are available on the USNIC webpage at: https://usicecenter.gov/Products/AntarcIcebergs
For more information, please contact:
National Ice Center
Command Duty Officer
Voice: (301) 943-6977
E-mail: nic.cdo@noaa.gov
Twitter: @usnatice
Facebook: @usnatice
The U.S. National Ice Center is a tri-agency center operated by the Navy, NOAA, and Coast Guard and provides global to tactical scale ice and snow products, ice forecasting, and related environmental intelligence services for the United States government.
