Sea Ice Approaching Icelandic Coast, Iceberg Spotted

Satellite imagery shows sea ice a mere 14 nautical miles from the northwest Icelandic coast, according to a new post from the Volcanology and Natural Hazard Group of the University of Iceland.

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As can be seen, there is a very narrow sea channel now between the northern edge of the Westfjords and the southern and eastern edge of this sea ice. Furthermore, it is entirely possible that there are icebergs floating around in this channel that are not visible by satellite imagery.

In fact, an alert posted from NAVTEX on the Icelandic Met Office page states that an iceberg some 1,000 metres long and 500 metres wide has been spotted in this channel.

Weather conditions in this area will be windy, cloudy and rainy today, meaning that ships traversing this channel will have their work cut out for them, especially if they hope to avoid icebergs.

It is not uncommon for sea ice to get close to Iceland, especially in the northwestern channel. This has resulted in the Icelandic Coast Guard having to issue warnings for ships and boats traveling in the area.