“Iceberg Alley"

It’s not just a saying. It is sometimes a reality. When it happens it is beauty, elegance on water, and purely nature’s canvas inaction. Such are the romance of Icebergs and when the Labrador current starts sending them our way we ready ourselves for the majesty of their beauty. These are a few that are being tracked by satellite in the waters off Newfoundland and Labrador. The alley appears to be cluttered at this point and less than a hundred km from the tip of the Avalon Peninsula after which when it reaches this point we will begin to document sightings in our area I am sure.

I didn’t think we would get them this year but I was wrong and happily so. With our Symposium at May’s long weekend  it could be just the opportunity for some exploration of them.

They do captivate and I find the fascination similar to that of staring in a campfire on a summer evening allowing your mind to drift and be mesmerized by the changing shapes of the flames from the hot embers burning and feeding the fiery dance. 

In april there was a huge chunk that calved off the Petermann Glacier in northern Greenland. It is said to be 4 times the size of New York’s Manhatten Island. A university of Delaware researcher says the sheet covers a hundred square miles. Now that is one hell of an ice cube! I don’t think these recent icebergs are part of that sheet as the floating monolithic island is still much further north. Not since 1962 has such a huge sheet broken off say canadian scientists and cracks are starting to form in the floating tongue of the huge sheet. I dare say that we may be treated to some huge displays of ice in the coming years if recent developments are any indication.

Tony and I in the past have spent a few hours of fun observing these up close. We all know or should know the risks involved. In recent years some adrenaline junkies have been boated out to actually climb them. We probably won’t be attempting that this year lol

Here is the link to http://www.icebergfinder.com/iceberg-map.aspx