The spectacular icebergs captured on camera before they disappear forever

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Amazing & Intresting

Thursday, 06 May 2010 00:00

From deep blue to crystal green these giant icebergs are some nature's most awe-inspiring spectacles.

Floating just metres from the shore, they are the natural backdrop off the Canadian coast in Newfoundland.

They can measure as high as a twenty-storey building and have the potential to weigh in excess of 10 million tonnes.

The spectacular icebergs captured on camera

The spectacular icebergs captured on camera

Amazingly, some of the magnificent blocks are over 15,000 years old.But as the polar ice caps continue to melt, there are fears that these extraordinary sights may vanish forever.

Travel photographer Rolf Hicker has spent the last 15 years capturing the natural phenomenon.'Icebergs have always fascinated me, they are all different,' explained the 42-year-old from Germany.

'I love Newfoundland and Labrador because it is the best places to watch icebergs.'Each year there are hundreds of icebergs in the vicinity and their shape, size and movement so close to the shore make them the perfect subject to photograph.'

Rolf first visited Newfoundland in 1995 returning almost every year during the spring and early summer months to document iceberg movements.

The majority of the icebergs in the North Atlantic come from about 100 iceberg producing glaciers along the Greenland coast while a few originate in the eastern Canadian Arctic Islands.

The spectacular icebergs captured on camera

The glaciers of western Greenland, where 90 per cent of Newfoundland's icebergs originate, are amongst the fastest moving in the world, with speeds up to 7 km per year.

Approximately 40,000 medium to large sized icebergs calve (break off) annually in Greenland, and are carried south in the cold Labrador current.

With their interior temperature ranging between minus 15 degrees to minus 20 degrees celsius the icebergs can range from very large (greater than 10 million tonnes and hundreds of metres long) to large, medium and small bergs and on to 'bergy bits' then 'growlers', which are grand piano-sized pieces.

The icebergs are mostly brilliant white because the ice is full of tiny air bubbles that reflect white light giving the iceberg an overall white appearance.

Ice that is bubble-free has a blue tint which is due to the same light phenomenon that tints the sky.

And their different shapes are categorised in order to understand their melting behaviour and mass.

From huge flat-topped tabular and blocky bergs (which can weigh in excess of several million tonnes) to smaller domed, drylocked (U-shaped) and pinnacled (triangular tipped) bergs, they come in all different shapes and sizes.

The spectacular icebergs captured on camera

The largest Northern Hemisphere iceberg on record was encountered near Baffin Island in 1882 which was 13 km long, 6 km wide and had a freeboard (height above water) of about 20 m.The mass of that iceberg was in excess of 9 billion tonnes - enough water for everyone in the world to drink a litre a day for over 4 years.

For Rolf however it is the bergs beauty that first attracted him to the area.Aside from his spectacular iceberg images Rolf's collection of travel photographs include an array of animals, especially Orcas, wildlife, travel photography and the northern lights.

His work has brought him several awards, including the Best Nature Film at the international Film festival in Dresden and the Gold Medal for Best scenic calendar by CMA.

Whether it is wildlife or real life, Rolf employs a stringent routine of preparation before each shoot.'There is a lot of planning that goes into each photograph - too much,' he says.

'We have to plan every location, not necessarily every photo.'We pick the main shots and give them priority for light, the rest gets 'standard light', you only really can get two outstanding shots a day, or better to scenes a day, different angles, different light.'

Rolf dedication to finding the perfect shot has spanned over 26 years.'I became a professional photographer at just sixteen,' says Rolf.

The spectacular icebergs captured on camera

'I was doing live travel shows in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for almost 20 years.'This has brought me a lot of experience - the more we specialise the more experience we get.

'We get to know locations better, we learn more about the behaviour of animals - all that are factors for successful specialised photography.'

Earlier this month satellite pictures, produced by Nasa, displayed how the North Pole had become an island for the first time in human history.

The startling images showed that melting ice has opened up the fabled North-West and North-East Passages - making it possible to sail around the Arctic ice cap.

The opening of the passages has been eagerly awaited by shipping companies which hope they will be able to cut thousands of miles off their routes.

But for climate change scientists it is yet another sign of the damage global warming is inflicting on the planet.

The spectacular icebergs captured on camera

Indeed even Rolf himself has noticed some distinct changes in the movements of icebergs in Newfoundland.

'I remember for years in Newfoundland where we hardly saw any icebergs,' recalls Rolf.

'But in 2007, there was a record number of icebergs with four or five times more icebergs then they ever seen in one season.

'For me this is a clear sign that something very bad is happening in the arctic.

'Everywhere across the world there are longer periods of dryness, followed by super extreme rain. temperatures in summer are higher, but winters are colder.

'It almost seems like there are no four seasons anymore. Everything is way more extreme then usual.'

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The spectacular icebergs captured on camera before they disappear forever
From deep blue to crystal green these giant icebergs are some nature's most awe-inspiring spectacles. ...