Sea ice has drifted close to land and is now 23 miles NNW of Straumnes in the West Fjords.
Sea ice near Greenland. Archive photo by Páll Stefánsson.
According to Ingibjörg Jónsdottir, geographer at the Faculty of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland, it is not unusual for sea ice to come so close to land at this time of year, ruv.is reports.
Ingibjörg says that captains of small boats must be aware of the presence and location of icebergs in the area.
It is not possible to predict whether the ice’s proximity to land increases the probability of polar bears coming ashore, Ingibjörg says, commenting that polar bears have come to land when the ice was not close. There have also been years when icebergs drifted close to land but no polar bears were detected.
ZR
