Calving and rifting on the McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica

• Published in: Annals of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Alison F. Banwell, Ian C. Willis, Grant J. Macdonald, Becky Goodsell, David P. Mayer, Anthony Powell, Douglas R. Macayeal
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2017
• Subjects: Antarctic glaciology; iceberg calving; ice-shelf break-up; ice shelves; Meteorology. Climatology; QC851-999; Antarctic; McMurdo Sound; McMurdo Ice Shelf; Scott Base; Annals of Glaciology; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Shelf; Ice Shelves; Iceberg*; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2017.12; https://doaj.org/article/504432a5c88943a8ac32d826d6bbcf9a

On 2 March 2016, several small en échelon tabular icebergs calved from the seaward front of the McMurdo Ice Shelf, and a previously inactive rift widened and propagated by ~3 km, ~25% of its previous length, setting the stage for the future calving of a ~14 km2 iceberg. Within 24 h of these events,...