The Antarctic continent is 4000 meters or 13,120 feet high and contains 75 percent of the world's fresh water as ice. The ice is flowing from the highest point to the ocean but very slowly. The ice shelf responds to the tides in the area and twice each day it is lifted and sinks about a foot. This continuous flexing causes the ice shelf to break at a weak point decided by the ice shelf. If the ice did not flow off of Antarctica all the water in the oceans eventually would be deposited there.

After the icebergs break off, they start to move with the tides, the ocean currents, and minor effects from the wind and rotation of the earth. To see more, check out the movies at: http://tstorm.ssec.wisc.edu/iceberg.html Our best guess so far is that it will move to the west, and slowly at that. See similar questions...

Forecasters at McMurdo Station in Antarctica discovered B-15 and B-16 by looking at satellite imagery. See similar questions...

Every year, roughly 40,000 medium to large sized icebergs break off, or calve, from Greenland glaciers. Of these, around 400 to 800 make it as far south as St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. However, these numbers vary greatly both seasonally and year to year. Off the coast of Newfoundland, the majority are seen in the spring and early summer. See similar questions...

Based on other icebergs, scientists think that the iceberg may eventually break in half (as did A-38), but probably not for several weeks and not until the iceberg moves about 50 km to the west along the ice front. At the end of March it was still "jiggling around in its parking spot." The latest images show a relatively small section broken off of the western portion of the main iceberg See similar questions...

If you're in the U.S., you find an iceberg by looking at data from satellites. We use computers that communicate with satellites, and via the Internet. See similar questions...

This iceberg is just going to melt, and go into the ocean, anyway, so we should use it by covering it in insulating bubble wrap, towing it up the Mississippi river, and using it for irrigation water in the Midwest, which needs some water this year. See similar questions...

In each new image as it comes in, a researcher will look for the cracks and rifts that are likely candidates for any new bergs. It is important to also look at places where the unexpected could happen (that's why B15 was probably missed, nobody "expected" it). See similar questions...

While most of the icebergs found in the North Atlantic come from the glaciers along the coast of Greenland, a handful begin in the eastern Canadian Arctic Islands. However, it is from the glaciers of western Greenland where 90% of Newfoundland's icebergs come from, and with speeds of up to 7 km a year, these are amongst the fastest moving in the world. The icebergs that we see off the coast of Newfoundland are carried south in the cold Labrador current. See similar questions...

Off the northeast coast of Newfoundland, the average drift speed of an iceberg is around 0.2 m/s (0.7 kph). Icebergs do not have a consistent speed, but rather are influenced by a variety of factors including the size and shape of the iceberg, ocean currents, waves, and wind, just to name a few. Speeds greater than 1 m/s (3.6 kph) have been recorded, as have fixed non-grounded bergs. Due to these factors, icebergs often take unconventional and irregular paths. See similar questions...

Due to the tiny air bubbles contained within the ice, icebergs are mainly white. The surface of the bubble reflects white light, thus giving the iceberg an overall white appearance. Ice that is bubble-free has a blue tint. This is the same lighting effect that tints the sky. See similar questions...

Basically, icebergs melt. During that process, they often calve and fracture into multiple pieces, creating trails or halos of smaller floating ice pieces. Due to the action of the waves, icebergs usually melt the quickest at the waterline. The waterline "notch" that forms induces the calving of overhanging and submerged blocks. Of course, the melt and breakup rates change with water and air temperature. See similar questions...

From immense tabular and blocky bergs over several million tonnes to small bergs weighing 1% of this, icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador can vary greatly in size. For recording iceberg statistics, categories of iceberg sizes range from very large - greater than 10 million tonnes and hundreds of meters long - to large, medium and small bergs. They can be further broken down into "bergy bits" and "growlers", which are the size of a grand piano. See similar questions...

Icebergs found off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador have an interior temperature of approximately -15° to -20°C. Only at the surface does the temperature increase to 0°C, which is the melting point of water. Strangely, icebergs in warm water appear colder than those in cold water due to the fact that the exterior melts at a quicker rate, therby exposing the colder interior. See similar questions...

Icebergs are often very unstable. The random shape combined with the varying degrees of melting and breakup leads to regular shifts in orientation. Generally, the most stable icebergs are tabular, while domed and wedge shaped bergs may roll completely over in seconds without any evident reason. See similar questions...

Yes, icebergs often "ground" or reach the seabed and get stuck. This is a normal occurrence along the coast where icebergs are brought closer to shore by fluctuating tidal currents or strong winds. At times, icebergs "scour" the ocean floor, creating irregular troughs that can be several kilometres in length and up to half a meter deep. The Grand Banks are criss-crossed with iceberg scour marks, both recent and decades old. See similar questions...