On Iceberg Watch with Landsat’s Night-Vision

On Iceberg Watch with Landsat’s Night-Vision

Chris Shuman
Research Scientist, Chris Shuman.

 

NASA Goddard research scientist Chris Shuman spoke recently to National Geographic about the Delaware-sized iceberg that broke away from the Larsen C ice shelf last month.

Shuman was one of many scientists on “iceberg watch” as the cracks in the Larsen C ice shelf expanded to eventually create iceberg A-68.
In the perpetual darkness of Antarctica’s winter, Shuman relied on the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) aboard Landsat 8 for night-vision.

Iceberg A-68
Landsat’s Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) helped confirm the birth of a massive iceberg in July 2017. Image credit: NASA’s Earth Observatory

Further Reading:
+ Landsat Spots Birth of Iceberg A-68, NASA’s Earth Observatory
+ Nighttime Pictures Reveal Antarctica’s Cracking Ice Shelves, National Geographic
+ Looking at Larsen C Fracture Mechanics with Landsat
+ Landsat ‘Sees in the Dark’ the Evolution of Antarctica’s Delaware-sized Iceberg
+ Massive Iceberg Breaks Off from Antarctica

Post Last Updated on April 9, 2025
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