NASA MODIS Image of the Day: August 23, 2012 – Iceberg B15F in the South Atlantic Ocean
The stark white of the highly reflective Iceberg B 15F formed a stark contrast to the darker waters of the South Atlantic Ocean in late August 2012. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of Iceberg B 15F on August 20. In March 2000, a huge iceberg calved off of the Ross Ice Shelf. Named B-15, the iceberg was almost the size of Connecticut, measuring 183 miles long and 23 miles wide. Over the past twelve years, B-15 has broken into many pieces and drifted across the ocean. As the iceberg pieces drift into warmer water waters, they begin to break apart. By August 20, B 15F had drifted to the Bellingshausen Sea, to the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula, or almost ¼ of the way around Antarctica from the iceberg’s birthplace of the Ross Ice Shelf. The waters in the region are deep, up to 5,181 meters (16,998 feet), and the surface waters are very cold – about -1.5°C (29.3°F). Ice frequently covers much of the Bellinghausen Sea, especially in winter, and icebergs are also a common year-round feature.
