Antarctic rift subject of international attention
Tuesday, October 16, 2012 - 05:30
in Earth & Climate
As NASA's Operation IceBridge resumed Antarctic science flights on Oct. 12, 2012, researchers worldwide had their eyes on Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier ice shelf, the site of a large rift measured during last year's campaign. This 18-mile-long crack is the start of a calving event that could potentially create a massive iceberg. The Pine Island Glacier broke large icebergs in 2001 and 2007, but the 2011 IceBridge survey marked the first time a rift has been measured in great detail from the air. IceBridge will be based out of Punta Arenas, Chile, in October and November.