ICEBERG C-21 BREAKS OFF SHACKLETON ICE SHELF

March 25, 2003 — The National Ice Center in Suitland, Md., confirms an iceberg broke off from the Shackleton Ice Shelf, a large sheet of glacial ice and snow extending from the Antarctic mainland into the western Wilkesland Sea. (Click NOAA image of Iceberg C-21 for larger view, which was taken by the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer infrared sensor on March 19, 2003.)

The new iceberg, named Iceberg C-21, is currently located near 65.0S, 95.7E and measures 24 nautical miles long (27.6 miles) by 12 nautical miles wide (13.8 miles). The NIC confirmed the "calving," or breaking off, of C-21 using the satellite image from the NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer infrared sensor.

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 an iceberg is first sighted, the NIC documents its point of origin. The letter of the quadrant, along with a sequential number is assigned to the iceberg. For example, C-21 is sequentially the 21st iceberg tracked by the NIC in Antarctica between 180-90E
Quadrant C.

The National Ice Center is a tri-agency operational center represented by the United States Navy (Department of Defense); the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Department of Commerce); and the United States Coast Guard (Department of Transportation). The National Ice Center mission is to provide worldwide operational ice analyses for the armed forces of the United States and allied nations, U.S. government agencies and the private sector.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U. S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
National Ice Center

NOAA Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer Infrared Sensor

Media Contact:
John Leslie, NOAA Satellites and Information, (301) 457-5005