January 11, 2005

A giant iceberg the size of Long Island is on a collision course with a floating glacier in Antarctica — and it could cause a smash so big, it will be best seen from space.
NASA scientists say the 100-mile-long iceberg, dubbed B-15 A, is set to crash into the Drygalski Ice Tongue near the McMurdo Research Station on the coast of Antarctica by the end of this week.

"It's a clash of the titans, a radical and uncommon event," said Robert Bindshadler, a researcher at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, which has been tracking the iceberg's movement.
The Drygalski Ice Tongue is growing out into the Ross Sea from a land-based glacier on Antarctica 's Scott Coast .

If the iceberg hits it, the impact will either cause huge piles of ice to break off into the sea or the ice tongue could shear off altogether, Bindshadler said.
The iceberg, at 1,200 square miles, is the largest fragment of an even larger iceberg that broke from the Ross Ice Shelf on the Scott Coast five years ago.
The slab has created problems for Antarctic residents and penguins, who must now travel greater distances to reach open waters and food.
A big smash between the iceberg and the ice tongue could make things easier for the penguins and ships. If the ice tongue collapses, the way may be opened again.

Courtesy : Source New York Post, Bridget Harrison
http://www.asoc.org/Press/Science/Ice/01.11.05.nypost.berg.htm

wbm, 18 January