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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   November 29, 2022 - Icebergs A76A and A69A   
      
      Icebergs   
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      On November 27, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite captured a true-color image of   
      a pair of notable icebergs drifting northward from Antarctica. The   
      largest rectangular-shaped ‘berg is known as A76A while the smaller,   
      rounded iceberg is A69A.   
      
      When Iceberg A76 broke off of Antarctica’s Ronne Ice Shelf in May 2021,   
      it made news as the largest ‘berg anywhere on Earth. Within the month   
      it split into three named pieces, and A76A was the largest of the   
      three. It has drifted northward more than 2,000 km (1,200 miles) since   
      that time, reaching the Drake Passage north of the Antarctic Peninsula.   
      Despite the long voyage—and drifting into warmer waters—A76A does not   
      seem to be shrinking. In June 2021, the U.S. National Ice Center   
      (USNIC) reported that A76A measured about 135 kilometers long and 26   
      kilometers wide; on November 25, 2022, the measurements remained the   
      same.   
      
      On June 26, 2020, Iceberg A69 broke off the Larsen D Ice Shelf,   
      measuring about 35.2 kilometers long and 18.5 kilometers wide. Less   
      than two weeks later, USNIC confirmed that the ‘berg had broken into   
      two icebergs large enough to warrant a name. At that time, the largest   
      piece (A69A) measured about 18.5 kilometers long by 12.9 kilometers   
      wide and it was floating in the Weddell Sea. On November 25, 2022,   
      A69A’s long drifting course had also take it to the Drake Passage, but   
      it was showing some signs of shrinkage. According to the USNIC data on   
      that date, A69A had shrunk on the long axis to about 16.7 kilometers,   
      but the estimate for the width was slightly larger than the previous   
      estimate, measuring close to 14 kilometers wide.   
      
      As they continue to drift north, icebergs are usually pushed east by   
      the powerful Antarctic Circumpolar Current funneling through the Drake   
      Passage. From that point, icebergs often whip north toward the equator   
      and quickly melt in the area’s warmer waters.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 11/27/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (507.9 KB),  500m (1.7 MB),  250m (5.2 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-11-29   
       
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