The past year was another extreme iceberg season in the North Atlantic, according to the International Ice Patrol, which counted 1,008 icebergs in shipping lanes there. This was the fourth consecutive extreme ice season, according to the organization, which labels any season with more than 600 icebergs as “extreme.”
The International Ice Patrol, organized by the U.S. Coast Guard but working with international partners, has been monitoring the North Atlantic, particularly the area around the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, ever since the sinking of the Titanic in 1913. It says the high number of icebergs this past year was due to retreating glaciers in Greenland, and the large number of heavy storms that broke up large amounts of sea ice.
In the past, the International Ice Patrol has relied on aerial reconnaissance, usually from C-130s, but this year it added satellite imagery to make its count. Coast Guard Cmdr. Kristen Serumgard, who heads the ice patrol, says she’s proud of the organization’s “stellar track record” – no vessel that heeded its warnings has ever struck an iceberg. Read more:
