ICEBERG POSES THREAT TO MARINERS IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE

NEW ICEBERG B-20 IN THE ROSS SEA HAS BEEN RENAMED TO C-16

A new iceberg has calved from the Ross Ice Shelf in the Ross Sea, the National Ice Center in Suitland, Md., reports. The center is a tri-agency operational activity with representation from the U.S. Navy, NOAA, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The iceberg originally named B-20 has been renamed to C-16. C-16 calved from the Ross Ice Shelf west of 180 longitude, in the C quadrant of Antarctica. If C-16 had originated from the Ross Ice Shelf east of 180 longitude in the B quadrant, it would have been given the name B-20.

Iceberg C-16 was detected on September 27^th using the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Optical Linescan Sensor (DMSP OLS) infrared imagery. It is known to have calved from the Ross Ice Shelf sometime between the 20^th and 26^th of September. The exact date of calving is currently unknown due to the extensive cloud cover that persisted over the southern Ross Sea. C-16 is located in the vicinity of Latitude 77 degrees, 00 minutes south; Longitude 170 degrees, 42 minutes east, and has moved northwest since calving from the Ross Ice Shelf. C-16 measures 30 by 11.5 statute miles.

The National Ice Center provides worldwide operational sea ice analyses and forecasts tailored to meet the requirements of U.S. national interests. The Center tracks icebergs using remotely sensed data provided in-part by satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Defense.

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 to 90 degrees West longitude (Bellinghausen/Weddell Sea)

B = 90 West to 180 (Amundsen/Eastern Ross Sea)

C = 180 to 90 East (Western Ross Sea/Wilkesland)

D = 90 East to 0 (Amery/Eastern Weddell Sea)

When an iceberg is first sighted, the National Ice Center documents its point of origin. The letter of the quadrant, along with a sequential number, is assigned to the iceberg. For example, C-16 is the 16^th iceberg the ice center has found in Antarctica in Quadrant B.

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