Satellite picture of icebergs caught in quick ice east of East Antarcticas West Ice Shelf acquired on October 18, 2023, with the Operational Land Imager-2 on Landsat 9.
A scientist identified a jade shade in the sea ice attached to the coast of East Antarctica.
This ice– known as landfast ice or merely quick ice– regulates the seaward flow of land ice and offers environment for animals. The ices textures can be diverse but its colors are mainly grayscale.
Discovery of a Green Iceberg
” I encountered this jade iceberg in amongst the mix of other bergs trapped in quick ice,” said Lieser, a meteorologist and sea ice scientist with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the University of Tasmania. “The larger scene looks unnoticeable enough, but when you zoom right in, you discover the one in hundreds.”
That outlier iceberg is visible in these images, gotten on October 18, 2023, with Landsat 9s OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2).
The wide view (above) shows a subset of the icebergs trapped in fast ice that day east of the West Ice Shelf (not visualized). The dark, linear locations on the lee side of the bergs are where wind has blown away the snow to expose bare ice listed below– a procedure called wind searching. The detailed image (listed below) reveals a better view of the probably green iceberg. Even in this view, you require to look closely to see the green pixels provided the icebergs fairly little size.
Comprehensive satellite picture of icebergs caught in quick ice east of East Antarcticas West Ice Shelf obtained on October 18, 2023, with the Operational Land Imager-2 on Landsat 9.
Colors and Significance of Icebergs
Icebergs vary in color from blue (in their pure type) to green. Lieser notes that a 2nd satellite image is needed to validate the greenness of the iceberg pictured here. East Antarctica is notoriously cloudy in spring.
Research Study and Operational Applications
Green icebergs aside, Lieser has both scientific and functional functions for studying satellite pictures of fast ice. He uses the images to help ecologists study and find seabirds. In this image, a similarly small however less vibrant area (brown) on the ice is because of an accumulation of penguin guano.
He likewise applies insights about the ices degree to support individuals working in East Antarctica. A considerable amount of quick ice can prevent a ship from reaching its destination. Conversely, substantial fast ice may support on-ice transport such as trucking and numerous resupply efforts.
Keeping Track Of Changes in Fast Ice
Finally, scientists want to understand where fast ice lies and how it is altering. Recent research study revealed that in 2022, there was a substantial loss of quick ice that had been present for more than two years.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, utilizing Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
This ice– understood as landfast ice or just quick ice– manages the seaward flow of land ice and supplies habitat for animals. The wide view (above) shows a subset of the icebergs caught in quick ice that day east of the West Ice Shelf (not imagined). Green icebergs aside, Lieser has both scientific and operational functions for studying satellite images of fast ice. He likewise uses insights about the ices extent to support individuals working in East Antarctica. On the other hand, substantial fast ice might support on-ice transportation such as trucking and various resupply efforts.