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December 29, 2020 - A68 Continues to Break Up
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After holding together for over three years, Iceberg A68A has been falling to pieces as it passes near South Georgia Island. First a large chunk broke away from the northern tip of the ‘berg on December 16-17, 2020. This new iceberg was named A68D. Only three days later two more icebergs had calved from A68A.
On December 25, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image showing a much-reduced A68A surrounded by three recently calved icebergs. A68D sits in the north while A68E has pivoted and drifted to the east. A68F, the most recently calved piece, remains close to the southern edge of A68A.
According to the U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC), on December 22 the new iceberg named A68E was located at 56° 45' South and 36° 34' West and measured 33 nautical miles on its longest axis and 8 nautical miles on its widest axis. A68F was located at 56° 32' South and 36° 51' West. A68F measures 14 nautical miles on its longest axis and 7 nautical miles on its widest axis.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/25/2020
Resolutions:
1km (48.3 KB), 500m (161.8 KB), 250m (459.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
After holding together for over three years, Iceberg A68A has been falling to pieces as it passes near South Georgia Island. First a large chunk broke away from the northern tip of the ‘berg on December 16-17, 2020. This new iceberg was named A68D. Only three days later two more icebergs had calved from A68A.
On December 25, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image showing a much-reduced A68A surrounded by three recently calved icebergs. A68D sits in the north while A68E has pivoted and drifted to the east. A68F, the most recently calved piece, remains close to the southern edge of A68A.
According to the U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC), on December 22 the new iceberg named A68E was located at 56° 45' South and 36° 34' West and measured 33 nautical miles on its longest axis and 8 nautical miles on its widest axis. A68F was located at 56° 32' South and 36° 51' West. A68F measures 14 nautical miles on its longest axis and 7 nautical miles on its widest axis.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/25/2020
Resolutions:
1km (48.3 KB), 500m (161.8 KB), 250m (459.6 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
