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May 21, 2002 — The National Ice Center in Suitland, Md., confirms an iceberg broke off from the Lazarev Ice Shelf, a large sheet of glacial ice and snow extending from the Antarctic mainland into the southeastern Weddell Sea. (Click satellite image for larger view of iceberg D-17 taken May 13, 2002.)

The iceberg, D-17, is currently located near 69.4S 15.9E and measures
30 nm (nautical miles) long by 6 nm wide (34.5 statute miles by 6.9 statute miles, or about 238 square miles). It is about the size of St. Lucia Island in the Caribbean Sea. The National Ice Center confirmed calving of D-17 using a satellite image from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Line Scan 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 (Bellinghausen/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, NIC documents its point of origin. The letter of the quadrant, along with a sequential number is assigned to the iceberg. For example, D-17 is sequentially the 17th iceberg tracked by the NIC in Antarctica between 90E-0 (Quadrant D).

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 world-wide operational ice analyses for the armed forces of the United States and allied
nations, U.S. government agencies, and the private sector.

Relevant Web Sites
Iceberg D-17 Image — Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Operational Line Scan Visible sensor 930 x 1024 pixels

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program

Archived Satellite Images, Storm Animations and Special Events, Including Icebergs

Media Contacts:
Patricia Viets, NOAA Satellite and Data Service, (301) 457-5005 or Christopher O'Connors, National Ice Center, (301) 457-5303 ext. 306