A massive ice island measuring 76.4 square kilometres broke off Petermann Glacier in northwestern Greenland on August 4, space agency satellites revealed. The ice mass is roughly the size of Manhattan in New York and reaches thicknesses of up to 150 metres in places.
The event marks the largest loss of floating ice at Petermann Glacier since 2012, according to researchers cited by publication InStyle Men. It is also the largest such ice calving recorded across the Arctic region since 2020.
Researchers tracked the breakup using data from the European Space Agency's Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites. Petermann Glacier connects the vast Greenland Ice Sheet directly to the Arctic Ocean.
Satellite tracking and glacier fractures
Scientists said the detachment was expected after observing growing cracks in the Petermann ice shelf for several years. Satellite measurements taken in April showed clear ice deformation and structural fractures across the ice.
Images captured on August 3 showed severe deterioration in the central part of the ice shelf. The 76.4-square-kilometre slab severed completely from the glacier the next day.
Petermann Glacier attracts scientific attention because it houses one of Greenland's largest remaining floating glacial tongues. Studying its changes helps researchers better understand the mechanisms of glacier retreat and polar ice loss.
Future iceberg risks and tracking
Researchers warned that the new ice island may only be the beginning, as large cracks continue forming in the Petermann ice shelf.
An international research team predicted that two more major fractures could occur along current crack lines. If those cracks give way, two additional ice islands measuring roughly 94 and 84 square kilometres could break off, both larger than the slab lost in August.
Scientists noted that large flat icebergs are more common in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, making such massive ice structures much rarer in the Arctic. Researchers plan to use satellites and other methods to track how the ice island drifts, breaks apart and changes shape.
