The 1980s and ‘90s were an especially cold period in the region, and more than 1,500 icebergs were observed during some of those years, with a record high of 2,202 in 1984. These annual counts are extremely variable and affected by the climate of the North Atlantic. In an average year, nearly 800 icebergs are expected to cross the boundary, which lies just north of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. The International Ice Patrol’s annual count of the number of icebergs that slip south of 48 degrees north provides the longest and most reliable time series of icebergs in Newfoundland. Coast Guard on behalf of several maritime nations, was created to monitor iceberg dangers for ships in the North Atlantic. Following this tragedy, in 1913, the International Ice Patrol, operated by the U.S. That year was not an abnormal one for icebergs, with 1,038 icebergs reported. The most famous of these icebergs is probably the one that sank the Titanic just south of the tip of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland in 1912. While these icebergs can live for as long as a decade, those reaching Newfoundland are generally one to two years old.Īmazing photos of icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland Sinking of the Titanic The same pressure pushes the glaciers-rivers of ice funnelled by numerous fjords-towards the ocean where they calve and form icebergs.Ī subset of these icebergs, mostly originating from the west coast of Greenland, will reach Newfoundland. The pressure that comes from the enormous weight transforms the snow into ice. The Greenland ice sheet is the result of thousands of years of snow accumulation that has reached a thickness of more than one kilometre. Data: General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans. The icebergs that arrive in Newfoundland calve from the west coast of Greenland and follow ocean currents to the south. While about 10-50 per cent of these icebergs melt directly in Greenland’s fjords, the majority are carried away by ocean currents. The bulk of the ice calving from Greenland’s glaciers form icebergs. Watch a gutsy Newfoundland swimmer brave frigid waters to reach an icebergĮvery year, hundreds of billions of tonnes of ice, equivalent to more than 100 million Olympic pools of water, once melted, is shed from Greenland’s glaciers into the ocean. Every spring, locals and visitors brave the region’s damp and chilly weather-it’s one of the foggiest places on the planet-to scrutinize the horizon for large white objects or embark on boat tours, hoping that luck will be on their side.īut with iceberg counts ranging from zero to more than 2,000 per year, booking a trip in advance to see these 10,000-year-old blocks of ice can be a gamble. Iceberg sightseeing is a common-and much-anticipated-activity in Newfoundland. But hurry up! As the planet continues to warm, Iceberg Alley may soon lose its name. Iceberg Alley, the stretch of coast ranging from Labrador to Newfoundland, is the southernmost region of the northern hemisphere where one can regularly see icebergs.
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