Iceberg armada heads for NZ

Just to give an update:

the icebergs were likely part of a larger piece of ice which broke off the Ronne Ice Shelf, located southeast of the Falkland Islands, six years ago.

The original iceberg, named A-43, was 167 km (267 miles) long and 32 km (20 miles).

They are about 100 icebergs, first detected by New Zealand's air force on Friday, had drifted eastward, south of Africa and Australia, in the dominant Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

It is a natural but rare phenomenon. It requires a lot of rare occurrences to happen simultaneously. The iceberg has to have managed to make it to the right place in the main currents in the Southern Ocean to have gotten all the way around to New Zealand without melting. Then, it has to have moved far enough north to have got pushed up towards New Zealand rather than pushed further south which is what happens to most icebergs.

About 90 percent of an iceberg is under water so it is unlikely that bigger icebergs would reach the shallow coasts of New Zealand.

Originally posted by rai76

The original iceberg, named A-43, was 167 km (267 miles) long and 32 km (20 miles).

Thanks for the up date, and the info.
But are you sure these figuers are entered correctly.

Originally posted by rai76
here's another interesting read about Icebergs and New Zealand.

From icebergs to pongas: Antarctica's ocean link with New Zealand

Although an ocean apart, Antarctica exerts an icy control on the waters flowing past New Zealand, with effects that are felt from the coast to the deep ocean.

Ever since James Cook sailed deep into Antarctic waters on his second voyage of 1772–75, New Zealand has kept close ties with the “White Continent”. Ross, Shackleton, Scott, Hillary and others relied on New Zealand to help them mount expeditions to the ice. But New Zealand has also fostered exploration and scientific research of its own, particularly with the building of Scott Base in 1957. Such historical links span 230 years, but environmental ties extend far down the path of geological time.

Read the article, it's pritty interesting.

www.niwascience.co.nz...

Are you saying the cold waters of the Antarctic are now flowing around the coasts of NZ? .. That would be a very bad change for NZ if it where true.. NZ keeps a nice consistent temperature year round with no major extremes in the winter and the summer.. this being because the waters around NZ stay a relatively consistent temperature. It is the same pattern that effects the UK and Ireland. If the waters get as cold as the Arctic NZ average temperature would fall as well.

Yes, i read in several reports that these pieces that are floating around are from the A -43 which broke off the Ronne Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea, South East of the Falkland Islands, in a process called 'calving'

They were supposed to go to South Afrika and Australia, but for some reason the manage to float to NZ without melting alot.

This a latest picture taken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) on November 9, 2006.



news.xinhuanet.com...

Some of them are almost 120 meters above the water, that is really huge, must be fasinating to see!!

[edit on 9/11/2006 by rai76]

Originally posted by rai76
Just to give an update:

the icebergs were likely part of a larger piece of ice which broke off the Ronne Ice Shelf, located southeast of the Falkland Islands, six years ago.

The original iceberg, named A-43, was 167 km (267 miles) long and 32 km (20 miles).

Good searching rai76.

Do you have a source link to share?

They are about 100 icebergs, first detected by New Zealand's air force on Friday, had drifted eastward, south of Africa and Australia, in the dominant Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

If they were first detected on Friday, then how can anyone say they calved from the Ronne iceshelf six years ago? ...That's pretty specific, and indicates a history of monitoring.

This is what I found.

National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research oceanographer Mike Williams said on Wednesday the icebergs were likely part of a larger piece of ice which broke off the Ronne Ice Shelf, located southeast of the Falkland Islands, six years ago.

The original iceberg, named A-43, was 167 km (267 miles) long and 32 km (20 miles).

Williams said about 100 icebergs, first detected by New Zealand`s air force on Friday, had drifted eastward, south of Africa and Australia, in the dominant Antarctic Circumpolar Current.

www.angolapress-angop.ao...

Haha it seems alot of people are interested as they arranging flights to watch the phenomenon. It seems they are going to be New Zealand newest tourist actraction.

A scenic flight to see icebergs approaching south-east New Zealand tomorrow has been rescheduled for two sold-out flights next week.

Tickets on the original 66-seat charter flight sold out 22 minutes after they were offered for sale on Wednesday.

There was a 70-person waiting list. But the plan hit turbulence when Air New Zealand said its ATR aircraft was not certified for such an offshore sightseeing expedition


tvnz.co.nz...
www.stuff.co.nz...

Yet another beatiful picture.



And watch this cool video they made from the Icebergs, must be fascinating to watch this in real.

www.kare11.com...

[edit on 10/11/2006 by rai76]