A new iceberg, 345 square miles in area, has splintered away from Antarctic's Ross Ice Shelf in the Ross Sea, the National Ice Center in Suitland, Md., reports.
Iceberg B-20 was detected on September 27 using the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's Optical Linescan Sensor infrared imagery. It is known to have broken away from the Ross Ice Shelf sometime between September 20 and 26. The exact date of splintering is currently unknown due to the extensive cloud cover that persisted over the southern Ross Sea.
B-20 is located in the vicinity of Latitude 77 degrees, 00 minutes south; Longitude 170 degrees, 42 minutes east, and has moved northwest since breaking away from the Ross Ice Shelf. B-20 measures 30 by 11.5 statute miles.
Iceberg names are derived from the Antarctic quadrant in which they were originally sighted. The quadrants are divided counter-clockwise in the following manner:
A = 0 to 90 degrees West longitude (Bellinghausen/Weddell Sea)
B = 90 West to 180 (Amundsen/Eastern Ross Sea)
C = 180 to 90 East (Western Ross Sea/Wilkesland)
