Movement of floating ice

Movement of floating ice

The Sentinel-2 image shows the area of the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica) just north of Charcot Island. This is a rare image because at this time of year, when the sea is already partially ice-free, the sky is normally covered with clouds.
The image shows a huge drifting “field” of the fine pack ice with the “moderate” (50 – 200 m) icebergs “embedded” in it. The areas of ice-free water around relatively large icebergs (especially from 100 m and more) can be seen. These areas have very clear, sharp boundaries (especially in the eastern region of the pack ice field, Figure 1).
In the case of relatively small icebergs (10-75 m, western part of the field, Figure 2), traces of their movement across the ice field can be seen.
It can be observed that the speed of the icebergs and the speed of the surrounding ice field differ in direction and magnitude. Thus it can be assumed that icebergs push the surrounding “ice slush” aside when they move. In addition, as the underwater part of icebergs melts, fresh water, which is lighter than salt water, rises along the walls of the iceberg to the sea surface, where it spreads around the iceberg and helps to push the surrounding ice aside.
Small icebergs leave only their tracks, helped by the turbulence of the water caused by their movement.
Figures 3 and 4 show how the situation has changed by 4 January 2025.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

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