Abstract
Abstract. Iceberg calving is the detachment of ice from ice shelves or glaciers. Although calving is a natural phenomenon, an abnormal rate of calving can be a threat to ice shelves. Some of the events were so large, that an iceberg of approximately 150 × 50 km area was calved in a single event. The most recent reported iceberg calving event was Larsen C and it took place in July 2017. In addition to the large and widely reported calving events, there are several small calving events, which are also of great significance and contribute to the overall mass loss from Antarctica. This study focuses on small calving events in Antarctica along various coasts. Three calving events are studied here, all of them have occurred in the past. This study was performed using Google Earth and Landsat satellite imageries. The first event is identified to have occurred at the Knox coast in 2016. Even after the icebergs were calved, they remained intact with the ice shelf due to ice fronts. The second event took place at the Queen Mary Coast in the year 2014. This event was studied from 2009 to 2016 using Landsat satellite images and many rifts were observed. The third event took place at the Princess Astrid Coast in the year 2016. This event was monitored from 2014 and three icebergs were calved between the years 2014 to 2016. This study emphasizes the exploitation of optical satellite data for studying calving events in Antarctica. Various crevasses and rifts are observed on Landsat imageries, which can be the first sign of a calving process.
Highlights
About 90% of ice mass on Earth is in Antarctica
A total of 6.11 km2 was calved in three years and many more small icebergs will be calved in future
Many rifts and icebergs are present at this place, which will lead to more calving events in future
Summary
About 90% of ice mass on Earth is in Antarctica. The Antarctic ice sheet covers an area of 14 million km of which about 10% consists of floating ice shelves. Averaging at least 1.6 km thick, the ice is so massive that it has depressed the continental bedrock in some areas to a depth greater than 2.5 km below sea level. If all of the Antarctic ice melted, sea levels around the world would rise about 61 meters (200 feet) (http://science.howstuffworks.com). This would be enough to submerge most of the coastal countries and Islands. It can cause aquifer and agricultural soil contamination loss of forests, loss of wildlife habitat. It can be a disastrous threat for human life and economy
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