Misplaced Pages

#932067

57-648: The International Ice Patrol is an organization with the purpose of monitoring the presence of icebergs in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans and reporting their movements for safety purposes. It is operated by United States Coast Guard but is funded by the 13 nations interested in trans-Atlantic navigation. As of 2011 the governments contributing to the International Ice Patrol include Belgium , Canada (see Canadian Ice Service ), Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , Italy , Japan ,

114-533: A German liner, rammed an iceberg and suffered a crushed bow, but she was still able to complete her voyage. The advent of watertight compartmentalization in ship construction led designers to declare their ships "unsinkable". During the 1912 sinking of the Titanic , the iceberg that sank the Titanic killed more than 1,500 of its estimated 2,224 passengers and crew, seriously damaging the 'unsinkable' claim. For

171-430: A fizzing sound that some may call "Bergie Seltzer ". This sound results when the water-ice interface reaches compressed air bubbles trapped in the ice. As each bubble bursts it makes a "popping" sound and the acoustic properties of these bubbles can be used to study iceberg melt. An iceberg may flip, or capsize, as it melts and breaks apart, changing the center of gravity . Capsizing can occur shortly after calving when

228-471: A sobering awareness of an iceberg's potential for tragedy. The sheer dimensions of the Titanic disaster created sufficient public reaction on both sides of the Atlantic to prod reluctant governments into action, producing the first Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS ) convention in 1914. After the Titanic disaster, the U.S. Navy assigned the cruisers USS  Chester and USS  Birmingham to patrol

285-421: Is a constant based on properties of the iceberg and the ocean and is approximately 0.75 ∘ C − 1 m 0.4 day − 1 s 0.8 {\displaystyle 0.75^{\circ }{\text{C}}^{-1}{\text{m}}^{0.4}{\text{day}}^{-1}{\text{s}}^{0.8}} in the polar ocean. The influence of the shape of an iceberg and of

342-569: Is also available via internet access. 2002 changes to SOLAS requires ships transiting the region guarded by the Ice Patrol to use the services provided during the ice season. Iceberg Icebergs vary considerably in size and shape. Icebergs that calve from glaciers in Greenland are often irregularly shaped while Antarctic ice shelves often produce large tabular (table top) icebergs. The largest iceberg in recent history, named B-15 ,

399-527: Is made from icebergs found around St. John's, Newfoundland . Although annual iceberg supply in Newfoundland and Labrador exceeds the total freshwater consumption of the United States, in 2016 the province introduced a tax on iceberg harvesting and imposed a limit on how much fresh water can be exported yearly. The freshwater injected into the ocean by melting icebergs can change the density of

456-490: Is the iceberg that sank the Titanic . The catastrophe led to the establishment of an International Ice Patrol shortly after. Icebergs in both the northern and southern hemispheres have often been compared in size to multiples of the 59.1 square kilometres (22.8 sq mi)-area of Manhattan Island . Artists have used icebergs as the subject matter for their paintings. Frederic Edwin Church , The Icebergs , 1861

513-418: Is the melt rate in m/day, Δ u {\displaystyle \Delta u} is the relative velocity between the iceberg and the ocean, T 0 − T {\displaystyle T_{0}-T} is the temperature difference between the ocean and the iceberg, and L {\displaystyle L} is the length of the iceberg. K {\displaystyle K}

570-514: The Dutch word ijsberg , literally meaning ice mountain , cognate to Danish isbjerg , German Eisberg , Low Saxon Iesbarg and Swedish isberg . Typically about one-tenth of the volume of an iceberg is above water, which follows from Archimedes's Principle of buoyancy ; the density of pure ice is about 920  kg/m (57 lb/cu ft), and that of seawater about 1,025 kg/m (64 lb/cu ft). The contour of

627-490: The Grand Banks of Newfoundland and provided the "limits of all known ice" in that vicinity to the maritime community. The IIP published their first records in 1921, which allowed for a year-by-year comparison of iceberg movement. Aerial surveillance of the seas in the early 1930s allowed for the development of charter systems that could accurately detail the ocean currents and iceberg locations. In 1945, experiments tested

SECTION 10

#1732765874933

684-666: The Netherlands , Norway , Panama , Poland , Spain , Sweden , the United Kingdom , and the United States . The organization was established in 1914 in response to the sinking of RMS Titanic . The primary mission of the Ice Patrol is to monitor the iceberg danger in the North Atlantic Ocean and provide relevant iceberg warning products to the maritime community. From the earliest journeys into

741-526: The North Atlantic , icebergs have threatened vessels. A review of the history of navigation prior to the turn of the 20th century shows an impressive number of casualties occurred in the vicinity of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland . For example, Lady of the Lake sank in 1833 with a loss of 215 people. Between 1882 and 1890, 14 vessels were lost and 40 seriously damaged due to ice. This does not include

798-667: The United States Coast Guard is one of the six military branches of the United States, unlike the other service chiefs, the commandant of the Coast Guard is not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . The commandant is, however, entitled to the same supplemental pay as each member of the Joint Chiefs, per 37 U.S.C.   § 414(a)(5) ($ 4,000 per annum in 2009), and is accorded privilege of

855-558: The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) on the Sentinel-1 satellites . In Labrador and Newfoundland, iceberg management plans have been developed to protect offshore installations from impacts with icebergs. The idea of towing large icebergs to other regions as a source of water has been raised since at least the 1950s, without having been put into practice. In 2017, a business from the UAE announced plans to tow an iceberg from Antarctica to

912-587: The 1980s, drifting buoys were used in Antarctic waters for oceanographic and climate research . They are equipped with sensors that measure ocean temperature and currents. Side looking airborne radar (SLAR) made it possible to acquire images regardless of weather conditions. On November 4, 1995, Canada launched RADARSAT-1 . Developed by the Canadian Space Agency , it provides images of Earth for scientific and commercial purposes. This system

969-742: The Coast Guard The commandant of the Coast Guard is the service chief and highest-ranking member of the United States Coast Guard . The commandant is an admiral , appointed for a four-year term by the president of the United States upon confirmation by the United States Senate . The commandant is assisted by a vice commandant , who is also an admiral, and two area commanders (U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area and U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area) and two deputy commandants (deputy commandant for operations and deputy commandant for mission support), all of whom are vice admirals . Though

1026-709: The Coast Guard Research and Development Center in New London, Connecticut . The ice reconnaissance detachment, usually composed of eleven aircrew and four ice observers flying in an HC-130 aircraft, continues to work out of Newfoundland. The Ice Patrol disseminates information on icebergs and the limit of all known sea ice via radio broadcast from the U.S. Coast Guard Communications Command (COMMCOM) located in Chesapeake, Virginia via Inmarsat Safetynet, and radio facsimile chart. Ice Patrol information

1083-515: The Coast Guard's sole remaining oceanographic ship, USCGC  Evergreen , was converted to a medium endurance cutter. The aircraft has distinct advantages for ice reconnaissance providing much greater coverage in a relatively short period of time. From 1946 until 1966, the Ice Patrol offices, operations center and reconnaissance aircraft were based at the Coast Guard Air Detachment Argentia, Newfoundland during

1140-553: The Coriolis force on iceberg melting rates has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments. Wave erosion is more poorly constrained but can be estimated by where M e {\displaystyle M_{\text{e}}} is the wave erosion rate in m/day, c = 1 12 m day − 1 {\displaystyle c={\frac {1}{12}}{\text{m day}}^{-1}} , S S {\displaystyle S_{\text{S}}} describes

1197-461: The Earth. The NIC is the only organization that names and tracks all Antarctic Icebergs. It assigns each iceberg larger than 10 nautical miles (19 km) along at least one axis a name composed of a letter indicating its point of origin and a running number. The letters used are as follows: The Danish Meteorological Institute monitors iceberg populations around Greenland using data collected by

SECTION 20

#1732765874933

1254-735: The Grand Banks of Newfoundland for the remainder of 1912. In 1913, the United States Navy could not spare ships for this purpose, so the Revenue Cutter Service (forerunner of the United States Coast Guard ) assumed responsibility, assigning USRC Seneca and USRC Miami to conduct the patrol. At the first International Conference on the Safety of Life at Sea , which was convened in London on 12 November 1913,

1311-552: The Ice Patrol. Every year since 1914, the United States Coast Guard and the International Ice Patrol lay a wreath from a ship or an aircraft at the site of the Titanic disaster on 15 April. The solemn ceremony is attended by the craft's crew and a dedication statement to the Titanic and her fatalities is read. From its inception until the beginning of World War II, the Ice Patrol was conducted from two surface patrol cutters alternating surveillance patrols of

1368-516: The International Ice Observation and Ice Patrol Service (Chap. 807, para. 2 49 USC 1922) and describing in general fashion the manner in which this service was to be performed. With only minor changes, this remains today as the basic Coast Guard authority to operate the International Ice Patrol. Since 1929, there have been three SOLAS conventions (1948, 1960 & 1974). None of these have recommended any basic change affecting

1425-480: The Middle East; in 2019 salvage engineer Nick Sloane announced a plan to move one to South Africa at an estimated cost of $ 200 million. In 2019, a German company, Polewater, announced plans to tow Antarctic icebergs to places like South Africa. Companies have used iceberg water in products such as bottled water , fizzy ice cubes and alcoholic drinks. For example, Iceberg Beer by Quidi Vidi Brewing Company

1482-537: The Revenue Marine Bureau. In 1849 the Revenue Marine Bureau was dissolved, and the Revenue Marine fell under the control the commissioner of customs until the Revenue Marine Bureau was again established in 1869. There have been 27 commandants of the Coast Guard since the office of chief of the Revenue Marine Bureau was transferred to a military billet. This includes Admiral Linda L. Fagan ,

1539-436: The basis of his paintings of arctic scenes with colossal icebergs made in the studio. American poet, Lydia Sigourney , wrote the poem "Icebergs" . While on a return journey from Europe in 1841, her steamship encountered a field of icebergs overnight, during an Aurora Borealis . The ship made it through unscathed to the next morning, when the sun rose and "touched the crowns, Of all those arctic kings." Commandant of

1596-537: The case of Pobeda Ice Island . Antarctic icebergs formed by breaking off from an ice shelf , such as the Ross Ice Shelf or Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf , are typically tabular. The largest icebergs in the world are formed this way. Non-tabular icebergs have different shapes and include: Prior to 1914 there was no system in place to track icebergs to guard ships against collisions despite fatal sinkings of ships by icebergs. In 1907, SS Kronprinz Wilhelm ,

1653-533: The combatant commanders of the unified combatant commands , command and control of the Coast Guard goes from the president through the secretary of homeland security (or secretary of defense , when the Coast Guard is acting as a service in the Department of the Navy ) through the commandant. Prior to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, the United States Coast Guard operated under and

1710-440: The commandant reported to the secretary of transportation from 1966 to 2003, and the secretary of the treasury from 1790 until 1966. The current and 27th commandant is Admiral Linda L. Fagan , who assumed office on 1 June 2022. She is the first woman to serve in the role. The title of commandant dates to a 1923 act that distributed the commissioned line and engineer officers of the U.S. Coast Guard in grades. Before 1923,

1767-637: The effectiveness of radar in detecting icebergs. A decade later, oceanographic monitoring outposts were established for the purpose of collecting data; these outposts continue to serve in environmental study. A computer was first installed on a ship for the purpose of oceanographic monitoring in 1964, which allowed for a faster evaluation of data. By the 1970s, ice-breaking ships were equipped with automatic transmissions of satellite photographs of ice in Antarctica. Systems for optical satellites had been developed but were still limited by weather conditions. In

International Ice Patrol - Misplaced Pages Continue

1824-607: The final act on 31 May 1929. Because of the fear in the United States Senate as a result of ambiguities in Article 54 dealing with control, the 1929 convention was not ratified by the United States until 7 August 1936, and even then the ratification was accompanied by three reservations. At the same time, Congress enacted legislation on 25 June 1936, formally requiring the Commandant of the Coast Guard to administer

1881-474: The floor under Senate Rule XXIII(1) as a de facto JCS member during presidential addresses. The commandant maintains operational command over the Coast Guard, unlike the chiefs of the other services, who serve only administrative roles. Thus, while the operational chain of command for the other services (per the Goldwater–Nichols Act ) goes from the president through the secretary of defense to

1938-487: The ice can create diverse colors. Sediment can create the dirty black coloration present in some icebergs. In addition to size classification (Table 1), icebergs can be classified on the basis of their shapes. The two basic types of iceberg forms are tabular and non-tabular . Tabular icebergs have steep sides and a flat top, much like a plateau , with a length-to-height ratio of more than 5:1. This type of iceberg, also known as an ice island , can be quite large, as in

1995-647: The ice season. Due to changing operational commitments and financial constraints the Coast Guard Argentia Air Detachment closed in 1966. Ice Patrol headquarters and operations center moved to Governors Island, New York where they remained until October 1983. Today the International Ice Patrol is located at the NOAA Satellite Operations Facility in Suitland, Maryland . Previously, it was located at

2052-518: The iceberg is young and establishing balance. Icebergs are unpredictable and can capsize anytime and without warning. Large icebergs that break off from a glacier front and flip onto the glacier face can push the entire glacier backwards momentarily, producing 'glacial earthquakes' that generate as much energy as an atomic bomb. Icebergs are generally white because they are covered in snow, but can be green, blue, yellow, black, striped, or even rainbow -colored. Seawater, algae and lack of air bubbles in

2109-643: The iron contained in sediments, can fuel blooms of phytoplankton. Samples collected from icebergs in Antarctica, Patagonia, Greenland, Svalbard, and Iceland, however, show that iron concentrations vary significantly, complicating efforts to generalize the impacts of icebergs on marine ecosystems. Iceberg B15 calved from the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000 and initially had an area of 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi). It broke apart in November 2002. The largest remaining piece of it, Iceberg B-15A , with an area of 3,000 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi),

2166-490: The large number of whaling and fishing vessels lost or damaged by ice. It took one of the greatest marine disasters of all time to arouse public demand for international cooperative action to deal with this marine hazard. This disaster, the sinking of RMS  Titanic on 15 April 1912, was the prime impetus for the establishment of the International Ice Patrol. On her maiden voyage from Southampton, England bound for New York, Titanic collided with an iceberg just south of

2223-436: The mass m , as well as the surface area, volume, and stability of the iceberg. Iceberg deterioration and drift, therefore, are interconnected ie. iceberg thermodynamics, and fracturing must be considered when modelling iceberg drift. Winds and currents may move icebergs close to coastlines, where they can become frozen into pack ice (one form of sea ice ), or drift into shallow waters, where they can come into contact with

2280-506: The ocean can be modelled by integrating the equation where m is the iceberg mass, v the drift velocity, and the variables f , k , and F correspond to the Coriolis force , the vertical unit vector, and a given force. The subscripts a, w, r, s, and p correspond to the air drag, water drag, wave radiation force, sea ice drag, and the horizontal pressure gradient force. Icebergs deteriorate through melting and fracturing, which changes

2337-683: The rank and title of the head of the Coast Guard was " captain-commandant ." The rank "captain-commandant" originated in the Revenue Cutter Service in 1908. The original holder of that rank was the Chief of the Revenue Cutter Service (also known as the Revenue Marine). The Coast Guard traces the lineage of commandants back to Captain Leonard G. Shepard , chief of the Revenue Marine Bureau, even though he never officially received

International Ice Patrol - Misplaced Pages Continue

2394-761: The remainder of the ice season of that year, the United States Navy patrolled the waters and monitored ice movements. In November 1913, the International Conference on the Safety of Life at Sea met in London to devise a more permanent system of observing icebergs. Within three months the participating maritime nations had formed the International Ice Patrol (IIP). The goal of the IIP was to collect data on meteorology and oceanography to measure currents, ice-flow, ocean temperature , and salinity levels. They monitored iceberg dangers near

2451-442: The same orbit path as RADARSAT-1. Iceberg concentrations and size distributions are monitored worldwide by the U.S. National Ice Center (NIC), established in 1995, which produces analyses and forecasts of Arctic , Antarctic , Great Lakes and Chesapeake Bay ice conditions. More than 95% of the data used in its sea ice analyses are derived from the remote sensors on polar-orbiting satellites that survey these remote regions of

2508-430: The sea state, T S {\displaystyle T_{\text{S}}} is the sea surface temperature, and I c {\displaystyle I_{\text{c}}} is the sea ice concentration. Air trapped in snow forms bubbles as the snow is compressed to form firn and then glacial ice. Icebergs can contain up to 10% air bubbles by volume. These bubbles are released during melting, producing

2565-512: The sea surface are classified as "bergy bits"; smaller than 1 meter—"growlers". The largest known iceberg in the North Atlantic was 168 metres (551 ft) above sea level, reported by the USCG icebreaker Eastwind in 1958, making it the height of a 55-story building. These icebergs originate from the glaciers of western Greenland and may have interior temperatures of −15 to −20 °C (5 to −4 °F). A given iceberg's trajectory through

2622-438: The seabed, a phenomenon called seabed gouging . Icebergs lose mass due to melting, and calving . Melting can be due to solar radiation, or heat and salt transport from the ocean. Iceberg calving is generally enhanced by waves impacting the iceberg. Melting tends to be driven by the ocean, rather than solar radiation. Ocean driven melting is often modelled as where M b {\displaystyle M_{\text{b}}}

2679-426: The seawater in the vicinity of the iceberg. Fresh melt water released at depth is lighter, and therefore more buoyant, than the surrounding seawater causing it to rise towards the surface. Icebergs can also act as floating breakwaters , impacting ocean waves. Icebergs contain variable concentrations of nutrients and minerals that are released into the ocean during melting. Iceberg-derived nutrients, particularly

2736-420: The southern ice limits. In 1931 and thereafter a third ship was assigned to Ice Patrol to perform oceanographic observations in the vicinity of the Grand Banks. After World War II, aerial surveillance became the primary ice reconnaissance method with surface patrols phased out except during unusually heavy ice years or extended periods of reduced visibility. Use of the oceanographic vessel continued until 1982, when

2793-400: The subject of patrolling the ice regions was thoroughly discussed. The convention signed on 30 January 1914, by the representatives of the world's various maritime powers, provided for the inauguration of an international derelict-destruction, ice observation, and ice patrol service, consisting of vessels, which should patrol the ice regions during the season of iceberg danger and attempt to keep

2850-464: The tail of the Grand Banks and sank in less than three hours. The loss of life was enormous with more than 1,500 of the 2,224 passengers and crew perishing. Titanic , the brand new flagship of the White Star Line , was the largest passenger liner of her time displacing 45,000 tons and capable of sustained speed in excess of 22 knots (41 km/h). The loss of Titanic gripped the world with

2907-580: The title of captain-commandant. The captain-commandant position was created in 1908 when Captain Worth G. Ross was the first to actually hold the position. Although he was retired, Ross's predecessor, Captain Charles F. Shoemaker , was elevated to the rank of captain-commandant. Shoemaker's predecessor, Captain Shepard, had already died and was not elevated to the rank. Chiefs exercised centralized control over

SECTION 50

#1732765874933

2964-597: The trans-Atlantic lanes clear of derelicts during the remainder of the year. Due primarily to the experience gained in 1912 and 1913, the United States Government was invited to undertake the management of the triple service, the expense to be defrayed by the 13 nations interested in trans-Atlantic navigation. The second International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea was convened in London on 16 April 1929. Eighteen nations participated, all of which signed

3021-448: The underwater portion can be difficult to judge by looking at the portion above the surface. The largest icebergs recorded have been calved , or broken off, from the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica . Icebergs may reach a height of more than 100 metres (300 ft) above the sea surface and have mass ranging from about 100,000 tonnes up to more than 10 million tonnes. Icebergs or pieces of floating ice smaller than 5 meters above

3078-550: Was measured at nearly 300 by 40 kilometres (186 by 25 mi) in 2000. The largest iceberg on record was an Antarctic tabular iceberg measuring 335 by 97 kilometres (208 by 60 mi) sighted 240 kilometres (150 mi) west of Scott Island , in the South Pacific Ocean, by the USS Glacier on November 12, 1956. This iceberg was larger than Belgium . The word iceberg is a partial loan translation from

3135-450: Was painted from sketches Church completed on a boat trip off Newfoundland and Labrador. Caspar David Friedrich , The Sea of Ice , 1823–1824 is polar landscape with an iceberg and ship wreck depicting the dangers of such conditions . William Bradford created detailed paintings of sailing ships set in arctic coasts and was fascinated by icebergs. Albert Bierstadt made studies on arctic trips aboard steamships in 1883 and 1884 that were

3192-419: Was still the largest iceberg on Earth until it ran aground and split into several pieces October 27, 2005, an event that was observed by seismographs both on the iceberg and across Antarctica. It has been hypothesized that this breakup may also have been abetted by ocean swell generated by an Alaskan storm 6 days earlier and 13,500 kilometres (8,400 mi) away. One of the most infamous icebergs in history

3249-578: Was the first to use synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which sends microwave energy to the ocean surface and records the reflections to track icebergs. The European Space Agency launched ENVISAT (an observation satellite that orbits the Earth's poles) on March 1, 2002. ENVISAT employs advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) technology, which can detect changes in surface height accurately. The Canadian Space Agency launched RADARSAT-2 in December 2007, which uses SAR and multi-polarization modes and follows

#932067