Saturday, June 23, 2007

Old Capstan Near Rose Blanche


A rusting capstan from another era lends perfect contrast to the young spring ferns.

Rose Blanche Lighthouse - Detail


This light tower is the last remaining granite structure of its type in Canada.

Rose Blanche Lighthouse


The Rose Blanche Lighthouse was built in 1871 from a nearby granite quarry and operated from 1873 to the 1940s. The original light was a 4th order dioptric lit from sunset to sunrise at a height of 95 feet above sea level. It could be seen for 13 miles in clear weather. The building fell into ruins but, in 1988, the citizens of the surrounding communities began restoration and the the lighthouse was returned to its former glory in 1999.


Sunday, June 17, 2007

White Giant


It takes a minimum of 3000 years to produce an iceberg and 3 years to journey to Newfoundland. The berg will melt within a matter of months if not weeks after passing south of St. John's. This white giant is drifting to its destiny off Cape Spear.

Ice Sculpture off Cape Spear


85 % of all the ice bergs that appear off Newfoundland's coast originate from the glaciers of Greenland. These icebergs are the fastest moving bergs in the world at 0.7 km/h.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Iceberg Radiation Fog


Radiation fog streaming from this iceberg is caused by the warm moist air over the berg being cooled to its saturation point or "dew point".

Bergy Bit - Cuckold's Cove


The International Ice Patrol defines a Bergy Bit as an iceberg 1-4 meters high and 5-14 meters long, weighing 0.1 megatons. This grounded iceberg, the size of a small bungalow, was photographed in Cuckold's Cove.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Pinnacle Ice Berg - Freshwater Bay


No two ice bergs are the same but they can be catregorized by descriptions of shape and size, such as tabular, blocky, wedge and pinnacle. This is a pinnacle iceberg near St. John's Harbour. When the middle melts out, it becomes known as a dry dock, resembling the docks for repairing ships.

Ice Berg Off Cuckold's Cove


The silence of the early morning air is shattered by a loud bang, followed by an eerie cracking sound that reverberates across the bay. That huge tabular ice berg off Cuckold's Cove has split into two uneven wedges. This spectacle plays out in the spring and early summer off Newfoundland's coasts. About 400 - 800 icebergs survive the trip from Greenland to Newfoundland each year. The 1800 nautical mile trip can take up to three years.