GPS Tracking of an Iceberg Eight Times the Size of Manhattan
27 Nov 2013A monstrous iceberg that could threaten islands near Antarctica and potentially enter shipping lanes is being tracked using GPS technology.
Researchers in the United Kingdom are on high alert due to a huge iceberg eight times the size of Manhattan. With Manhattan nearly 34 square miles in terms of land and water, that’s a gigantic iceberg for sure. In fact, the iceberg is measuring roughly 270 square miles.
The iceberg is currently in the southern part of the ocean in Antarctica, moving through the Drake Passage. While it is still in the ocean for now, researchers worry that it could become a major emergency if it reaches land. It is already at risk of entering nearby shipping lanes.
In July of this year, the iceberg broke away from the Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica. Researchers have proposed a six month project and have been awarded £50,000 to fund the project. They will track the movement of the iceberg and predict its movement as it glides through the Southern Ocean.
“From the time it had been ground that the crack had gone all the way across in July, it had stayed iced-in because it was still winter in Antarctica. But in the last couple of days, it has begun to break away and now a kilometer or two of clear water has developed between it and the glacier. An aircraft belonging to NASA was the first to see the crack in 2011 when it first began expanding along the Pine Island Glacier,“ said Grant Bigg, professor and principal investigator from the University of Sheffield.
The iceberg has already begun traveling through the body of water between Antarctica’s South Shetland Islands and Cape Horn in South America, called The Drake Passage. If it continues down its path, it could enter international shipping lanes soon.
Based on previous icebergs of similar size, researchers worry that the iceberg will start moving westwards toward the coast, or even worse, go outward toward the Southern Ocean and enter the Circumpolar Current. This current has had disastrous consequences in the past, including causing a cruise ship to sink. Even if it moves into warmer waters where it can begin melting, the iceberg is so large it is still at risk of entering the very busy shipping lanes.
Through two GPS tracking devices attached to the iceberg by the British Antarctic Survey, a GPS tracking project is looking at the movement of the iceberg and attempting to predict where it will go next. This includes measuring the wind fields that have been prevalent in this area and put it at an even greater risk of changing directions. The research team expects to predict and follow the iceberg’s location for the next 12 months minimum.
If the monstrous iceberg does show signs of moving toward or into shipping lanes, then a warning could be issued to give notice of the hazard.
Comments are closed.