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Dec 08, 2006 - Ross Sea, Antarctica - Research on Iceberg B-15A. The northern edge of the giant iceberg, B-15A, in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Iceberg B-15A is a fragment of a much larger iceberg (B-15) that broke away from the Ross Ice Shelf in March 2000. Scientists believe that the enormous piece of ice broke away as part of a long-term natural cycle (every 50-to-100 years, or so) in which the shelf--which is roughly the size of Texas--sheds pieces much as human fingernails grow and break off. Researchers have placed global positioning systems (GPS), weather monitoring stations and four seismometers on different icebergs to track them. The goal is to learn more about what causes icebergs to calve, how and why they drift, what happens when the icebergs warm, and why they are producing previously unknown tremors that are picked up on seismometers as far away as Tahiti. Plans are to track - ZUMAz03_ 20061208_ptf_z03_458

Antarktis, Borchgevink-Kueste und Admirality-Berge, Transantarktische Berge, Admirality-Range, Antarktis, Transantarktische Berge, Admirality-Range Antarctica, Borchgrevink-Coast and Admirality-Mountains, Transantarctic Mountains, Admirality-Range, Antarctica, Transantarktische Berge, Admirality-Range BLWS015467