Articles | Volume 20, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-467-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-467-2026
Research article
 | 
21 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 21 Jan 2026

Icebergs, jigsaw puzzles, and genealogy: automated multi-generational iceberg tracking and lineage reconstruction

Ben R. Evans, Alan R. Lowe, Anna Crawford, Andrew Fleming, and J. Scott Hosking

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Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-624,https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2026-624, 2026
Preprint under review for ESSD
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Cited articles

Ackermann, L., Rackow, T., Himstedt, K., Gierz, P., Knorr, G., and Lohmann, G.: A comprehensive Earth system model (AWI-ESM2.1) with interactive icebergs: effects on surface and deep-ocean characteristics, Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 3279–3301, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-3279-2024, 2024. 
Arrigo, K. R., Van Dijken, G. L., Ainley, D. G., Fahnestock, M. A., and Markus, T.: Ecological impact of a large Antarctic iceberg, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 8-1–8-4, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001GL014160, 2002. 
Bamber, J., Van Den Broeke, M., Ettema, J., Lenaerts, J., and Rignot, E.: Recent large increases in freshwater fluxes from Greenland into the North Atlantic, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, 19501, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL052552, 2012. 
Bamber, J. L., Tedstone, A. J., King, M. D., Howat, I. M., Enderlin, E. M., van den Broeke, M. R., and Noel, B.: Land Ice Freshwater Budget of the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans: 1. Data, Methods, and Results, J. Geophys. Res. Oceans, 123, 1827–1837, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JC013605, 2018. 
Barbat, M. M., Wesche, C., Werhli, A. V., and Mata, M. M.: An adaptive machine learning approach to improve automatic iceberg detection from SAR images, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 156, 247–259, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2019.08.015, 2019. 
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Short summary
Icebergs account for about half of the freshwater lost from Antarctica. Because they can drift for long periods of time and across great distances, it is hard to know where in the oceans that water ends up, yet this is crucially important for ocean circulations and the global climate. We have developed a digital tool that can help us to understand the dynamics and effects of icebergs by recognizing them through time and doing “jigsaw puzzles” to reconstruct their family trees when they break apart.
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