science

Iceberg C-19

Iceberg C-19 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Iceberg C-19 rather than just read about it. In short: Iceberg C-19 is an iceberg that calved from the Ross Ice Shelf in May 2002 on a fissure scientists had been watching since the 1980s. After that the Ross Ice Shelf returned to the size it was in 1911, when it was mapped by Robert F.

Key takeaways

Iceberg C-19 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Iceberg C-19 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Iceberg C-19 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Iceberg C-19 is an iceberg that calved from the Ross Ice Shelf in May 2002 on a fissure scientists had been watching since the 1980s. After that the Ross Ice Shelf returned to the size it was in 1911, when it was mapped by Robert F. Scott’s party. It was the second-largest iceberg to calve in the region in a few years (after B-15). It had a surface area larger than 5500 km2. During 2002 C-19 prevented sea ice from moving out of the southwestern Ross Sea region and this blockage resulted in an unusually high sea ice level during spring and summer, thus provoking a huge reduction in phytoplankton production which is at the base of the food chain. In summer 2003 C-19 moved northward very rapidly, passed Cape Adare, and broke in two pieces: C-19A and C-19B. In September 2005, after a two-year stay along the coast of Victoria Land (west of French station Dumont d'Urville) C-19A started drifting northward. In March 2006 its location was in the Pacific Ocean, 200 km west of Balleny Islands. In 2008, C-19A was renamed Melting Bob by Max Dolan as a result of a contest sponsored by the Hay Festival and the Scott Polar Research Institute. As of May 2008, its surface area was approximately 5141 km2.

See also List of recorded icebergs by area

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Iceberg C-19

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Iceberg C-19 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Iceberg C-19 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Iceberg C-19 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Iceberg C-19

In research: Iceberg C-19 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Iceberg C-19 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Iceberg C-19 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Geography of Antarctica, Icebergs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Iceberg C-19 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Iceberg C-19 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Iceberg C-19 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Iceberg C-19 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Iceberg C-19 in simple terms?

Why does Iceberg C-19 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Iceberg C-19?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Iceberg C-19.