Iceberg alley
Gerhard Behrens |
| Many people hear the word iceberg and think about the Titanic. Well, we are in the exact place where that kind of an iceberg started and where thousands of icebergs roam each year. Last night, as we moved toward the west coast of Greenland, we were almost surrounded by them. This afternoon, at one point, there were over 60 around the ship. The stretch of water we have passed through in the last two weeks is known as Iceberg Alley because there are some many floating around. |
Iceberg calving and iceberg flow in Baffin Bay. |
Greenland’s glaciers from the air |
Look at the map to see how the currents in Baffin Bay carry the icebergs. They travel up the coast of Greenland on the West Greenland Current and down the coast of Baffin Island on the Baffin Current. They glide past Labrador and Newfoundland on the Labrador Current. They can meet passenger or cargo ships in the North Atlantic Current. |
| I had to learn a few things about icebergs.
First, they are often called bergs.
Second, they have to be at least 5 meters (about 15) above sea level.
Third, icebergs break off from glaciers. That is called calving.
Fourth, they are 100% fresh water, nothing salty or seawater about them since they come from glaciers, which are made from rain and snow. Look at the airplane views of Greenland. The glaciers are the white fingers of ice going down to the dark blue water. In the other picture, you can see how glaciers can flow into the ocean before they break off.
Fifth, bergs come in special shapes with special names. Check out the pictures and names on the following charts. |
| Iceberg charts and information are courtesy of Ed Hudson, Meteorological Service of Canada and Yves Sivret, Canadian Ice Service. Additional iceberg photos courtesy of Scott McAullife. Get even more information and pictures at http://ice-glaces.ec.gc.ca. |
| You can see more of the icebergs we have met so far by clicking Pictures, then Places Along the Way, then scrolling down to icebergs. Go the Fun Facts page to get more information and pictures about bergs. |
The Healy’s pet icebergs |
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Iceberg sizes and names. |
Iceberg shapes and names. |
