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Iceberg A-38 Calves from Antarctica's Ronne Ice Shelf

October 1998

Birth of a Big Iceberg: On October 13 1998, National Ice Center scientist Mary Keller saw in satellite imagery that a tabular mass of ice more than 90 miles long and almost 30 miles wide had broken away from the Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica on its way to becoming the world's largest reported iceberg in over a decade.

The image at left shows the very large iceberg that broke or "calved" off Antarctica's Ronne Ice Shelf. The image was acquired by the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on board the Canadian RADARSAT satellite, and appears here courtesy of the Canadian Space Agency and the NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service. SAR imagery combines excellent resolution (100 m) with the ability to sense the Earths's surface in darkness or through clouds, making it exceptionally useful for monitoring ice in polar regions. (larger version, ~ 865 Kb)

As of 22 October 22 1998, A-38 is breaking up. For the latest information and imagery, see the U.S. National Ice Center or the NOAA NESDIS Operational Significant Event Imagery pages (specifically the index of ice events imagery).

Event Significance

Is the calving of A-38 related to global climate change? No.

Dr. Kenneth Jezek, Director of the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University, provides insight into the calving of A-38.

Dr. Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Data Center, compares the A-38 calving with recent events on the Larsen Ice Shelf and discusses earlier events on the Larson Ice Shelf and their relation to regional climate trends.

The British Antarctic Survey provides additional context for the calving of A-38.

Additional Information: Imagery Sources

• The U.S. National Ice Center tracks A-38 and other Antarctic icebergs, and provides analyses of sea ice at both poles. On their home page you will find an visable-band image of A-38 acquired with the Operational Linescan System onboard a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite.

• The Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT Program and the Alaska Satellite Facility have additional examples of RADARSAT imagery, and information on the exciting RADARSAT Antarctic Mapping Mission.

• For more images of A-38, see NOAA Polar Orbitor Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) imagery on the NOAA NESDIS Operational Significant Event Imagery pages (click on the HOT button, then find Ice). AVHRR has two visible band channels (channels one and two), and two infrared channels (channels 3 and 4).