Iceberg B-51 Calves from Getz Ice Shelf

By LTJG Jared Doris, USN
NIC.PAO@noaa.gov
301-943-6977
May 05, 2026

Suitland, MD — The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) has confirmed that iceberg B-51 (figure 1, below) calved from the Getz Ice Shelf. As of May 5, B-51 was centered at 74° 19' South and 130° 02' West and measured 16 nautical miles on its longest axis and 3 nautical miles on its widest axis.

The new iceberg was first spotted by Dr. Jan Lieser of Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology on April 16, 2026 and confirmed by USNIC Analyst Britney Fajardo using the Sentinel-1 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 the 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 the 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

The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC), in collaboration with its global partners, empowers mariners and Naval forces operating in polar, subpolar, and Great Lakes regions with authoritative and timely snow, sea- and lake-ice products and forecasts. USNIC safeguards life and property at sea, defends access and commerce, and further enhances Naval maneuver and superiority. To access daily products, weekly products, archival data and much more of USNIC data in various formats, visit the USNIC webpage at: https://usicecenter.gov/Products.

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.

For more information, please contact:
National Ice Center
Naval Ice Center
Command Duty Officer
Voice: (301) 943-6977
E-mail: nic.cdo@noaa.gov
Twitter: @usnatice
Facebook: @usnatice