Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica

Click on Image to Enlarge  (JPG) Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica (629 KB) ( 2,547 x 3,222 )

This ASTER image was acquired on December 12, 2000, and covers an area of 38 x 48 km. Pine Island Glacier has undergone a steady loss of elevation with retreat of the grounding line in recent decades. Now, space imagery has revealed a wide new crack that some scientists think will soon result in a calving event. Glaciologist Robert Bindschadler of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center predicts this crack will result in the calving of a major iceberg, probably in less than 18 months. Discovery of the crack was possible due to multi-year image archives and high resolution imagery. This image is located at 74.1 degrees south latitude and 105.1 degrees west longitude.

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Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica Type: (JPG) Size: (629 KB) Resolution ( 2,547 x 3,222 )