Manitoba scientist recognized for work studying Iceberg Alley

One Manitoba scientist is being recognized in National Geographic for her work studying icebergs.

Juliana Marson, a physical oceanographer and an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba, has been studying what’s known as ‘Iceberg Alley’ - a stretch of water along the eastern coast of Newfoundland and Labrador where icebergs can be seen.

Marson said Iceberg Alley is well-known for several reasons, including the fact that the icebergs pose hazards for all the ships passing through.

“This region receives about one per cent of all the icebergs, the break-off, of Greenland,” she explained.

“So it’s just a small percentage, but still they are very attractive, and, of course, they are important for our environment as well.”

Now, Marson’s work is being recognized by National Geographic in an article about iceberg chasers in Newfoundland.

She said the article looks at concerns surrounding declining iceberg numbers. In 2019, chasers saw about 1,500 icebergs in the region; but in 2021, they only saw one. However, things are starting to pick up again.

“This year they counted around 380 reaching that region,” Marson said.

“This is a normal variability. In the 1970s we had very low counts of icebergs, reaching zero in some years, and then suddenly there were 2,000 icebergs reaching that region.”

IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Marson said the icebergs in Iceberg Alley will see the impacts of climate change as icebergs are affected by the atmosphere, the ocean’s temperature, and sea ice.

Marson said one situation is that there could be more icebergs breaking off of glaciers because they are melting faster. However, if the ocean sees consistently warmer temperatures, icebergs will melt faster and they will be fewer icebergs reaching Newfoundland and Labrador.

“This is a very complicated puzzle. There are several pieces,” she said.

- With files from CTV’s Rachel Lagace.