Contact: Mariangela D'Acunto
mariangela.dacunto@esa.int
39-069-418-0856
European Space Agency

The Break-up of Wilkins Ice Shelf

Caption: Wilkins Ice Shelf has experienced further break-up with an area of about 160 square kilometers breaking off. This animation, comprised of images acquired by Envisat's Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar between May 30 and June 9, 2008, highlights the rapidly dwindling strip of ice that is protecting thousands of kilometers of the ice shelf from further break-up. This is the first ever-documented episode to occur in winter.

Credit: ESA

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Related news release: Even the Antarctic winter cannot protect Wilkins Ice Shelf