B17-b (Ap)


A pair of weeks ago, initially, a huge iceberg and then many smaller ones, were spotted around Macquarie Island, an island midway between Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica, where icebergs are a very rare sight, as I reported in the this post:
Huge icebergs encircle Macquarie Island

two new icebergs pictures taken from Macquarie Island:

(Ap)

(Eve Merfield/associated Press)

Last week, icebergs has been seen even from the southern tip of New Zealand which is an even rarer sight and then, in a crescendo of breaking news a really enormous one, identified by scientist with the name B17-b has been detected on its way to Australia. The city-sized iceberg is now breaking up into hundreds of smaller icebergs as it drifts into warmer waters. This is creating potentially hazardous conditions for ships trying to navigate the region. The iceberg, was spotted last week on satellite imaging about 1,100 miles (1,700 kilometers) off Western Australia state, prompting New Zealand and than Australia's Bureau of Meteorology to issue a shipping alert. When first observed, B17B was a whopping 140 square kilometers (54 square miles). Now, it is about 115 square kilometers (44 square miles), or around 18 kilometers (11 miles) long and 8 kilometers (5 miles) wide.

The position of B17-b first sight:

The following image provided by Australian Antarctic Division is a satellite view of some giant icebergs when they detached from the ice-shelf, B17-b is the fourth from right. Its journey began almost 10 years ago when it broke away from the Ross ice shelf in Antarctica.


(Australian Antarctic Division)

Currently, B17-b journey to Australia is controlled carefully due to the danger that it represents.
These are three NASA satellite images of B17-b:

November 5, 2009:

(Nasa)

November 29, 2009:

(Nasa)

December 11, 2009:

(Nasa)