The National Ice Center - Press Release

December 04, 2007, Washington D.C. -- The National Ice Center (NIC) discovered iceberg B-27 has calved off Pine Island Glacier in the Amundsen Sea, creating an iceberg that meets criteria for naming and tracking by the NIC. It is suspected that calving occurred during the month of November, with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery confirming this on a 02 December 2007 image (Figure 1), which clearly shows a portion of the berg detached from Pine Island Glacier. ENVISAT Global Monitoring Mode (GMM) image from 28 November 2007 (Figure 2) confirms the presence of B-27. The berg is currently blocked by the fast ice cover in Pine Island Bay, with no significant movement. The new iceberg will be named B-27. B-27 is currently located at 74º54’S 101º47’W, and measures 19NM x 11NM, based off MODIS imagery from 02 December 2007.

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 first sighted, an iceberg’s point of origin is documented by the NIC. The letter of the quadrant, along with a sequential number, is assigned to the iceberg. For example, A-53 is sequentially the 53rd iceberg tracked by the NIC in Antarctica between 0-90W (Quadrant A).

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 Homeland Security). 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.

For more information, please contact:
National Ice Center
Naval Ice Center
Liaison Branch
Voice: 301-394-3100
E-mail: liaison@natice.noaa.gov

Press Release Last Update: December 30, 2007
Iceberg B-27 Named


Figure 1. MODIS Image 02December2007, Calving of B-27	Figure 2. ENVISAT GMM Image 28November2007, Calving of B-27

(Please click on the pictures to view the larger image)
December 04, 2007, Washington D.C. -- The National Ice Center (NIC) discovered iceberg B-27 has calved off Pine Island Glacier in the Amundsen Sea, creating an iceberg that meets criteria for naming and tracking by the NIC. It is suspected that calving occurred during the month of November, with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery confirming this on a 02 December 2007 image (Figure 1), which clearly shows a portion of the berg detached from Pine Island Glacier. ENVISAT Global Monitoring Mode (GMM) image from 28 November 2007 (Figure 2) confirms the presence of B-27. The berg is currently blocked by the fast ice cover in Pine Island Bay, with no significant movement. The new iceberg will be named B-27. B-27 is currently located at 74º54’S 101º47’W, and measures 19NM x 11NM, based off MODIS imagery from 02 December 2007. 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 first sighted, an iceberg’s point of origin is documented by the NIC. The letter of the quadrant, along with a sequential number, is assigned to the iceberg. For example, A-53 is sequentially the 53rd iceberg tracked by the NIC in Antarctica between 0-90W (Quadrant A). 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 Homeland Security). 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. For more information, please contact: National Ice Center Naval Ice Center Liaison Branch Voice: 301-394-3100 E-mail: liaison@natice.noaa.gov

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