Iceberg A74: German ship squeezes through narrow ice channel

The German Research Vessel Polarstern has made a remarkable circumnavigation of Antarctica’s latest mega-iceberg. It was an opportunity too good to miss for the research icebreaker, which is operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) in Bremerhaven.

The ship sailed a complete circuit of the 1,290-sq-km (500 sq miles) frozen block, known as A74, at the weekend.

To do so, R/V Polarstern had to navigate the very narrow channel that separates A74 from the Brunt Ice Shelf – the frozen floating platform from which the berg broke two weeks ago. The vessel was already working nearby on a pre-planned expedition, so it was easy enough to divert and conduct some serendipitous science.

The EU’s Sentinel-2 satellite managed to image the ship in the process.

Read more at:  https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56404142