NASA spots iceberg five times larger than Central Park off Greenland coast

A massive iceberg, spanning roughly 17 square kilometers, about five times the area of New York's Central Park, has been observed navigating the Denmark Strait, the waterway between Greenland and Iceland. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported that the colossal ice block had already traveled over 1,000 kilometers.

The iceberg was initially detected by NASA's Landsat 9 satellite on June 12, using its Operational Land Imager (OLI) instrument. At the time of detection, it was located south of Kangikajiip Appalia, a cape on Greenland's eastern coast, amidst sea ice and fragments of other icebergs. Alexis Denton, chief scientist for the International Ice Patrol, noted that several characteristics, including its proximity to the coast, brighter white hue, and significant size, helped identify it as an iceberg distinct from multi-year sea ice.

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Several indications allowed us to identify it as an iceberg and differentiate it from multi-year sea ice.

While substantial by Greenland standards, this iceberg is considerably smaller than the colossal icebergs that break off from Antarctic glaciers and ice shelves. Specialists hypothesize that the ice block originated from Jokelbugten, a bay in northeastern Greenland, although the precise calving point remains unconfirmed. Keld Quistgaard, a senior ice advisor with the Danish Meteorological Institute's Greenland Ice Service, identified this bay as the probable origin, suggesting it may have detached from either Zachariae Isstrom or a remnant ice shelf adjacent to the glacier.

Christopher Shuman, a retired glaciologist from the University of Maryland, leans towards the theory that the iceberg separated from the remnant ice shelf rather than the glacier directly, as icebergs from Zachariae Isstrom tend to be smaller. Tracking its path via satellite imagery proved challenging due to extensive sea ice cover in the bay and coastal areas during spring. Initially surrounded by similar-looking blocks, the iceberg became more clearly identifiable as it drifted south and the surrounding ice diminished. NASA images also revealed signs of meltwater ponds on the iceberg's surface.

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Reconstructing its journey through satellite images was complicated. During spring, the bay and nearby coastal areas are covered by large amounts of sea ice.