Current* Antarctic large iceberg positions derived from ASCAT and OSCAT-2**

* Last revised: 15:58:53 11/10/23

**Operational users please note: This list cannot possibly contain all potentially hazardous icebergs in Antarctic waters -- Scatterometers such as ASCAT and OSCAT-2 were designed for measuring ocean winds, not icebergs. Scatterometer data is useful for tracking icebergs, but is limited. During the Austral summer contrast between ocean and melting icebergs is reduced, which can result in gaps in visibility. Futher, as the SCP team is not an operational agency, errors are expected and we cannot be held responsible for omissions or errors in this database. Also note that the large icebergs tracked here tend to shed smaller iceberg fragments which are serious navigation hazards in nearby areas. Fragments (large and small) can drift substantial distances from their origins.

This information supplements the Antarctic Iceberg dataset maintained by the U.S. National Ice Center (NIC). If an inconsistency is observed, we recommend that NIC be considered authoritative.

This page is typically updated once or twice a week, typically on Mondays and possibly Fridays. Positions reported here are extracted from near real-time ASCAT and OSCAT-2 data in tandem. Positions reported in the full iceberg database are generated from science data and have been more accurately tracked. The full database is updated only a few times per year

*** National Ice Center (NIC) iceberg designations are used where possible. Additional fragments are numbered. Icebergs not designated by NIC are denoted as "uk". Fragments not separately tracked by NIC may have additional numbers following their designation.

**** UTC day-of-year. Day of year chart

BYU Antarctic Iceberg Database - Comprehensive historic database of Antarctic iceberg positions derived from enhanced resolution scatterometer image time series spanning from 1978 through the present.

Selected papers on scatterometer iceberg tracking:
Paper (2.1MB pdf) K.M. Stuart and D.G. Long, "Tracking large tabular icebergs using the SeaWinds Ku-band microwave scatterometer", Deep-Sea Research Part II, doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.11.004, Vol. 59, pp. 1285-1300, 2011.
Paper (620 kB pdf) D.G. Long, Jarom Ballantyne, and C. Bertoia, "Is the Number of Icebergs Really Increasing?" EOS, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, Vol. 83, No. 42, pp 469 & 474, 15 Oct. 2002)