Manhattan-Sized Ice Island Breaks from Greenland's Petermann Glacier

On August 4, 2026, the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission from the European Space Agency captured satellite images showing a major calving event at Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland. A massive section of the glacier's floating ice tongue, measuring 29 square miles, broke away, resulting in a tabular iceberg comparable in size to Manhattan. This marks the largest floating ice loss at Petermann since 2012 and represents the most notable Arctic calving incident since 2020. The newly formed ice island is estimated to reach thicknesses of up to 492 feet. Scientists plan to observe its movement and disintegration, as such icebergs are uncommon in the Arctic. Additionally, two more large ice islands could break off due to expanding rifts, influenced by ongoing climate change.