November 29, 2022 - Icebergs A76A and A69A

Icebergs
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On November 27, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite captured a true-color image of
a pair of notable icebergs drifting northward from Antarctica. The
largest rectangular-shaped ‘berg is known as A76A while the smaller,
rounded iceberg is A69A.

When Iceberg A76 broke off of Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf in May 2021,
it made news as the largest ‘berg anywhere on Earth. Within the month
it split into three named pieces, and A76A was the largest of the
three. It has drifted northward more than 2,000 km (1,200 miles) since
that time, reaching the Drake Passage north of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Despite the long voyage—and drifting into warmer waters—A76A does not
seem to be shrinking. In June 2021, the U.S. National Ice Center
(USNIC) reported that A76A measured about 135 kilometers long and 26
kilometers wide; on November 25, 2022, the measurements remained the
same.

On June 26, 2020, Iceberg A69 broke off the Larsen D Ice Shelf,
measuring about 35.2 kilometers long and 18.5 kilometers wide. Less
than two weeks later, USNIC confirmed that the ‘berg had broken into
two icebergs large enough to warrant a name. At that time, the largest
piece (A69A) measured about 18.5 kilometers long by 12.9 kilometers
wide and it was floating in the Weddell Sea. On November 25, 2022,
A69A’s long drifting course had also take it to the Drake Passage, but
it was showing some signs of shrinkage. According to the USNIC data on
that date, A69A had shrunk on the long axis to about 16.7 kilometers,
but the estimate for the width was slightly larger than the previous
estimate, measuring close to 14 kilometers wide.

As they continue to drift north, icebergs are usually pushed east by
the powerful Antarctic Circumpolar Current funneling through the Drake
Passage. From that point, icebergs often whip north toward the equator
and quickly melt in the area’s warmer waters.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 11/27/2022
Resolutions: 1km (507.9 KB), 500m (1.7 MB), 250m (5.2 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-11-29

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