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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Photo: Manhattan-Size Ice Island Cracks in Half


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On September 3, 2007, the Ayles Ice Island was intact (top), though cracked, satellite imagery shows. Just two days later the once Manhattan-size iceberg had split in two and drifted apart.

The former Ayles Ice Shelf had broken away from Canada's Ellesmere Island in 2005. Low Arctic sea ice allowed the berg to drift south into warmer waters, which aided the breakup.

Satellite images courtesy Canadian Space Agency