LARGE TABULAR ICEBERGS AND ICE ISLANDS OFF EASTERN CANADA IN 2001-2003 AND THEIR PROBABLE SOURCE

In 2002 and 2003, offshore operators on the Grand Banks reported an unusually large number of ice islands and large tabular icebergs up to 20 million tonnes, with drafts of 65 to 80m. This paper describes sightings of large tabular icebergs and ice islands in 2001 to 2003 north of the Grand Banks, f...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: I. K. Peterson
Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
Format: Text
Language:English
Subjects:
Arctic
Canada
Canadian Arctic Archipelago
Lancaster Sound
Newfoundland
Arctic Archipelago
glacier*
Iceberg*
Petermann glacier
Online Access:http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.521.7395
http://starfish.mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/science/ocean/seaice/Publications/peterson13.pdf
Description
Summary:In 2002 and 2003, offshore operators on the Grand Banks reported an unusually large number of ice islands and large tabular icebergs up to 20 million tonnes, with drafts of 65 to 80m. This paper describes sightings of large tabular icebergs and ice islands in 2001 to 2003 north of the Grand Banks, from Lancaster Sound in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to the Labrador and Newfoundland shelves. Based on the dimensions and surface appearance of the icebergs, the most probable source is the Petermann glacier. MODIS imagery shows large pieces of ice near the front left the glacier fjord in August 2000, and large segments broke off the glacier front in the summer of 2001. Despite above-average calving rates on the eastern side of the Petermann glacier in 2000 to 2001, the glacier front was within the historical limits.

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