Expedition sets out to map Larsen C ice shelf

Scientists head to Weddell Sea to model changes to the shelf since the calving, in 2017, of the massive iceberg A68

In the comings days, a team of scientists, technicians and other specialists will gather onboard the SA Agulhas II, a 13,500-tonne ice-breaker moored off the coast of Antarctica, and make final preparations for one of the most ambitious polar expeditions in decades.

Guided by satellite imagery and drones flown from the research ship, the vessel will set off on New Year's day through the pack ice of the Weddell Sea, part of the Southern Ocean in the Antarctic. The ship's destination is the Larsen C ice shelf where a trillion tonne iceberg, four times the size of Greater London, calved away in July 2017.