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Iceberg's end caught by Envisat

10 November 2003

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This animation of iceberg B-15A breaking up was put together from 12 separate ASAR images acquired by Envisat between 11 September and 12 October 2003.

Credits: ESA 2003

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Another Envisat instrument known as MERIS acquired this optical image showing B-15A in the Ross Sea on 16 October 2003. The bottle-shaped iceberg can be seen centre. Below it is the Ross Ice Sheet from which the B-15 berg originated in March 2003. Left of B-15A is McMurdo Sound, location of US and New Zealand Antarctic bases.

Credits: ESA 2003

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This ASAR image from 6 November 2003 clearly shows the split iceberg. The larger piece of B-15A retains the original name, while the other piece is called B-15J. Left of B-15A can be seen land - including the famous McMurdo Dry Valleys, and behind them the Transantarctic Mountains. Top of the picture is the floating Drygalski Ice Tongue, an example of ice draining from the David Glacier into the sea at a minimum rate of 150 metres a year.

Credits: ESA 2003

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CryoSat is the first satellite of ESA's Living Planet Programme to be realized in the framework of the Earth Explorer Opportunity Missions. The mission concept was selected in 1999 with an anticipated launch in 2004. CryoSat is a radar altimetry mission dedicated to the observation of the polar regions. Its aim is to study possible climate variability and trends by determining the variations in thickness of the Earth's continental ice sheets and marine sea ice cover.

Giants joust in the cold