The global melting of glaciers continues to take center stage as growing impact of greenhouse on the world’s icecaps continues to make news. In the forefront of the research rest satellite imagery.

An iceberg about the size of Martha’s Vineyard broke off from the Fimbul Ice Shelf, a large glacial ice sheet, located along the northwestern section of Queen Maud Land, in the eastern Weddell Sea near Antarctica. The National Ice Center (NIC), using visible satellite imagery from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, announced the discovery this season after it spotted the iceberg, named D-16, break off.

Based in Suitland, Md., the National Ice Center is a tri-agency operational center represented by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard. The NIC’s mission is to provide worldwide operational ice analyses for the armed forces of the United States and allied nations, U.S. government agencies and private shipping and oil industries.

Currently, D-16, which measures 15 nautical miles on its longest axis and 8 nautical miles on its widest axis, is located 69 degrees 22 minutes 48 seconds south latitude and 0 degrees 12 minutes east longitude. Iceberg names are derived from the Antarctic quadrant where they are first sighted. When they are first observed, the National Ice Center documents an iceberg’s point of origin. The iceberg is assigned the letter of the quadrant, along with the sequential number.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as possible, all the while using satellite imagery to document the glacier movements.

And this application is not new when it comes to global glacier tracking. In 1996, measurements made with satellite imagery revealed the Greenland Ice Sheet glacier’s speed was averaging 3 miles per year. In addition, the glacier has unexpectedly receded approximately 3 miles since 2001 after maintaining a stable position for the past 40 years.

The Greenland Ice Sheet could melt down if regional warming exceeds about 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Should this occur, sea level would rise approximately 23 feet throughout a few thousand years.