Icebergs
Home Up Forecasts Sea temperature Icebergs

 

 

Following the success of the film Titanic, one of the most common questions that come up when discussing a floating island kingdom in the Atlantic is icebergs.

The Labrador current brings around 7,000 to 8,000 icebergs south each year, most melt before reaching the grand bank, around 400 make it south of Newfoundland and 50 reach the southern tip of the grand bank around 375 miles north of our chosen position. They vary in size from very small to quite large, the largest iceberg seen in the Northern Atlantic was in 1882 when one was spotted 7 miles by 3.7 miles wide. In the Antarctic, southern Atlantic they are much larger, one of the largest was in 1927 recorded as 90 miles long and again in 1931 by which time it had shrunk to 60 miles. The Largest Antarctic iceberg measured 208 miles by 60 miles.

Icebergs have a specific gravity of 0.9 and 6/7ths is generally under the water, but there is some variation. 

Given the direction of water and wind, the movement should then be east, turning north east again. It is said that they have a sail like effect and their direction is mostly controlled by the wind. With a wind of 30 knots the fastest, winged shapes, move at 1 knot, around 24 nautical miles a day. Due to their mass if the wind stops they will continue on for some hours. The movement is not directly in line with the wind but at an angle caused by the earths rotation, the kenotic energy and earths spin working together can cause icebergs on occasions to move in a near circle.

Given even freak weather conditions and an iceberg being driven in our direction, if it had not melted completely, it would be extremely small by the time it reached our position, and current flow around our walls should carry it past without any problems.

We find few records of icebergs making it this far south where the sea is much warmer, and if a freak one did, the size of the ocean in comparison to the space we would occupy makes an impact statistically unlikely, and tidal/weather flow makes it a near impossibility. 

7 have been spotted over the years north of Bermuda, but only 2 in June 1907 and June 1926 were anywhere near. In July 1921 one made it amongst the Azores islands and in November 1883 one was seen between the Azores and Africa. The only one recorded anywhere near (within several hundred miles) to the position we propose was seen in March 1921. It has to be remembered however that they are difficult to see in rougher water and as they dissolve many sit very low in the water. It is therefore likely that more have made it further south than we know of.

Over recent decades there has been a steady but marked decrease in the number of icebergs seen within the north Atlantic, as the planet has warmed up, but this is no guarantee that the future will not produce freak weather conditions.

All iceberg's are plotted and observed as they present a risk to ships, and action taken so ships do not run into them.

In our opinion the risk of damage from an iceberg is very low. However it is a risk factor that we need to be aware of and have up-to-date information on. The only risk to us would be if we are in very rough seas, freak weather conditions, a very large initial iceberg that moved fast and where the kingdom is at the time tethered to the sea bed. In addition to the collision damage, the tethering to the sea bed would be broken and the kingdom pushed in front of the iceberg. The build up kinetic energy would be too great in all but the smallest, to allow it to be pushed out of the way and a collision avoided.

If The kingdom is not tethered and therefore able to move (if only very slowly), then the speed an iceberg moves at, makes it no risk to the kingdom.

More information

Extensive article in Encyclopedia Britannica including historic sightings.

http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/Maps/US_e.html Canadian weather site has within its products section daily Iceberg reports and graphics showing current limit of icebergs.

http://www.chs-shc.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/chs/  Canadian Hydrographic service, more charts and data for sale but may be worth looking at.

 

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Last updated: October 09, 2002.