Late-season freeze sets Baltic ice record – Scientists say they have never seen anything like it.
“Since record keeping began in the sixties, we’ve never encountered anything like this before,” ice breaker Ulf Gulldne told the local newspaper Örnsköldsviks Allehanda.
On March 29th, 176,000 square kilometers of the Baltic Sea was covered in ice, a record for the time of year.
“I’ve never seen this much ice this late in the season,” said Karl Herlin, captain of the icebreaker Atle, currently working off the coast of Luleå in northern Sweden.
This past week has been the busiest week for the Atle so far this winter.
The Swedish Maritime Administration (Sjöfartsverket) has all its five icebreaking crews in service at the moment.
“The cold is unusually stubborn, as normally the ice would have started to melt by now,” said Torbjörn Grafström at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI).
Forecasters had expected the Baltic ice to reach its maximum in late January,
http://www.thelocal.se/47154/20130405/#.UWAi7ZNJO30
Thanks to Laurel, Kirk Myers and Sonya Porter for these links
“Looks like the taking back of the icebreaker that was loaned to Antarctic mob was really GOOD move
” says Laurel. “And as ever, not a word of this will make Australian media.”
…………
“Guess it’s another case of warm water causing more ice,” says Kirk.
” says Laurel. “And as ever, not a word of this will make Australian media.”