Petermann Glacier ice loss: Manhattan-sized iceberg breaks off in Greenland

A massive ice island, roughly the size of Manhattan, has broken away from the Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland. The calving event occurred on 4 August 2026, involving a section of approximately 76.4 square kilometers. The newly formed tabular iceberg is estimated to be up to 150 metres thick.

This event marks the largest ice loss from the Petermann Glacier since 2012 and is considered one of the most significant Arctic calving events since 2020. Researchers from the University of Ottawa and other institutions had been monitoring the glacier for years, noting that fractures had been expanding across the floating ice tongue since at least 2019.

Satellite observations from the European Space Agency’s Copernicus programme, specifically the Sentinel-1 mission, captured the final stages of the separation. While the detachment of an already floating ice mass does not cause an immediate significant rise in sea levels, the loss of the floating ice tongue may have long-term implications for the glacier's stability.