1,000 icebergs appeared on the sea in 2017

This is the fourth consecutive major iceberg season, with large numbers of icebergs entering shipping lanes in the North Atlantic.

Ships operating at sea are at risk of colliding with icebergs. Photo: Christian Science Monitor.

The US Coast Guard announced yesterday at its annual conference in London that about 1,000 icebergs appeared in the shipping area of ​​the North Atlantic in 2017, according to CNBC.

Greenland’s glaciers are shrinking, and storms are breaking off large amounts of sea ice, creating icebergs, said Kristen Serumgard, head of the U.S. Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol. They found 1,008 icebergs in the shipping area, up from 687 in 2016.

The International Ice Patrol classifies iceberg seasons as light, moderate, or heavy based on the amount of ice. This year is the 19th largest iceberg season since 1900 and the fourth largest iceberg season in a row.

The International Ice Patrol was established after the Titanic tragedy to eliminate the risk of ships hitting icebergs. They regularly conduct reconnaissance flights to chart the location of icebergs.

Even with modern radar systems, ships sometimes miss icebergs, Serumgard said. "We don't want another Titanic," she said.

Based on data on sea ice, air temperature and sea surface temperature, the Canadian Ice Service predicts that the number of icebergs next year will decrease to about 500.

The International Ice Patrol is increasingly using satellite imagery. In 2016, only 2% of icebergs were detected by satellite, but this year that figure has risen to 22%.

Serumgard hopes to eventually transition to using satellite imagery entirely, allowing Coast Guard aircraft to be repurposed for other tasks, though that will take years. The cost of using satellite data has been prohibitive in the past, and it’s difficult to differentiate between icebergs and vessels in images, especially icebergs or small boats, she added.

According to VNE