How do icebergs break up?
Basically, icebergs melt. During that process, they often calve and fracture into multiple pieces, creating trails or halos of smaller floating ice pieces. Due to the action of the waves, icebergs usually melt the quickest at the waterline. The waterline “notch” that forms induces the calving of overhanging and submerged blocks. Of course, the melt and breakup rates change with water and air temperature. For example, a large iceberg may last 90 days in water temperatures around 0°C, whereas the same berg may only last 11 days in 10°C water!
