Published 7 years ago, updated 6 years ago

The United States Coast Guard Navigation Center is receiving more frequent reports of sea ice this Spring than is typical for this time of year.

The United States Coast Guard Navigation Center and the

North American Ice Service (NAIS) are advising mariners transiting higher latitudes in the North Atlantic to check the International Ice Patrol charts due to an increase in sea ice sightings. Particularly off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, the sea ice has been reported more frequently and further south than is typical this time of year.

“As of 17 April 2017, 648 icebergs have been sighted south of 48° N in the transatlantic shipping lanes,” a NAIS report said. “On average 212 icebergs drift south of this latitude by the end of April based on data collected between 1900 and 2016.”

This is an increase of 436 confirmed sightings of ice bergs south of 48ºN from the same month last year. The largest concentration of ice is entering the North Atlantic from Northern Canada and Greenland through the Davis Strait.

Mariners are advised to consult the North American Ice Service website and the NAIS ice berg chart when preparing for a passage in the North Atlantic.