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02:06It was actually quite shocking floating there amongst this debris field of what was once
02:11this incredible, incredible thing.
02:18There's something about these towering structures.
02:22When you're in their presence, you feel awe.
02:40Almost all icebergs we see in Canada are born far away from several glaciers in western Greenland.
02:46One of the most active is an ancient river of ice called the Equi Glacier.
02:50When winter ends, this mother delivers her offspring right into the salt water.
02:55The process is called calving.
02:57It's a little like a whale giving birth to a calf.
03:05But you don't want to be too close when this baby's born.
03:08Our captain keeps us a kilometer back from the glacier wall.
03:27It's a little like a whale giving birth to a calf.
03:29It's a little like a whale giving birth to a calf.
03:34Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of bergs parade down the fjord.
03:40Bo Albregson has lived here for 25 years.
03:44He's never lost his sense of awe.
03:49I can say that the glacier is actually the most productive glacier on the northern hemisphere.
03:55And it is moving very fast, around 40 meters a day.
04:02And every year we have a production of ice from that specific glacier of 45 cubic kilometers.
04:11That's as if Toronto were covered in 20 stories of ice.
04:19Most icebergs are certainly born in or carved from the glacier front in the summertime.
04:24Because that's when we have most of the water coming from the inland ice as meltwater running beneath the glacier.
04:34All glaciers are made of fresh water.
04:37They start off as layers of snow that compact into ice over centuries.
04:42Gravity then draws the ice downhill toward the ocean, where it breaks off in what can look like an avalanche.
04:49Even more intense than seeing an iceberg born is hearing it.
04:54It's not a silent birth.
05:01It's not a silent birth.
05:11Our audio technician uses a special microphone called a hydrophone.
05:15I'm going to hear what calving sounds like under the sea for the first time.
05:20For my graduate research, I spent countless hours over many years with headphones on,
05:27and attached to a hydrophone listening to the sounds of the sea.
05:32And not too long ago, in the 1950s, Jacques Cousteau made a film called The Silent World.
05:38And some scientists really had this idea that beneath the waves, it was quiet.
05:46And now using this hydrophone, we're able to be dropped down into this world that is so loud and full
05:54of life.
06:07So it's hard to describe, it just feels like there's so much energy behind this sound.
06:18Calving is one of the loudest sounds in the Arctic Ocean.
06:24The Akui icebergs fall from the same height as a 10-story building.
06:29Some of these bergs are as big as cathedrals.
06:36They're carried along by currents in the water.
06:38It can take a year for them to travel a highway this crowded.
06:46They hit a huge traffic jam right where the water is most shallow.
06:50The young bergs can be stuck here for months.
06:53Eventually, they melt or split or just get shoved through.
07:04Finally, they get a taste of the open road in Disco Bay.
07:15Even after they start to shrink, these icebergs are spectacular structures.
07:20Some have spires pointing to the sky.
07:24Others have peaks that look like mountain ranges.
07:29As they get closer to the coast, they start attracting fans.
07:33What a lovely morning.
07:37I'm so happy I can go out here just enjoying those magnificent icebergs.
07:47They're stunning.
07:50I wonder what story they could tell.
07:57I think icebergs have taught me awareness and being in the moment.
08:09Greenland's icebergs are stars.
08:12People from all over the world pour into the town of Ilulisat to see them with their own eyes.
08:23The icebergs just give you peace and silence in your body.
08:27And the feeling is amazing to be here and never witnessing anything like this before.
08:34The first time I saw icebergs, I actually teared up.
08:39It was so amazing to see, you know, the magnificent size of it, the colors, different forms.
08:49Icebergs are amazing.
08:55It's thrilling to see the midnight sun light up the surface of a berg.
09:00And what's around them is pretty remarkable too.
09:10They attract phytoplankton, tiny plant-like algae.
09:14The foundation of a marine food chain that goes all the way up to the largest animals in the ocean.
09:27It's one of the reasons why there's an abundance of fish.
09:58There's a lot of halibut.
09:59Enough to feed the community and provide income.
10:04More than a hundred fishers bring their catch here.
10:15So the nurturing of tiny marine life that begins under an arctic iceberg
10:20produces one of the most sought after fish in the world.
10:27So we send them to Danmark, to Aalborg, and from Aalborg to Japan and China.
10:35Aalborg, and from Aalborg, and from Aalborg, and from Aalborg, and from Aalborg, and from Aalborg.
10:52Jorgen Christensen lives much as his ancestors did.
10:56He's a hunter, a fisher, and a champion dog sledder.
11:28It's getting warmer.
11:30The inland ice is getting smaller.
11:33The glacier has drawn, and the front of the glacier is now standing on the ground.
11:39The glaciers are not that tall anymore, and they are retreating.
11:44So that retreat is the cause of the smaller icebergs we see now.
11:51Size aside, there's a bounty of icebergs this year.
11:55And they're on the move, gifting fresh water as they go.
12:00We want to understand the life journey of an iceberg, from its birth in Greenland, to its adventures in Canada,
12:07to wherever it meets its final fate.
12:09We've seen the challenges icebergs face in the Arctic.
12:12But their struggles don't end there.
12:17Oh my gosh.
12:19Oh, scary!
12:31After they set out from Greenland, this year's
12:34first generation of icebergs heads into Baffin Bay.
12:37It's the start of a long trip, 5,000 kilometres.
12:41That's like travelling all the way across Canada.
12:46But they can't do it under their own steam.
12:50Larger bergs are mostly carried by currents.
12:52Smaller ones get pushed around by the wind.
12:56Steve Bruneau teaches at Memorial University.
12:59He has a real passion for icebergs.
13:03Studying icebergs has been, you know, a part of my life for quite a few years.
13:09On the east coast of Canada, we have a very fast moving current from the north that comes to south.
13:19If we have miserable northeast winds, we'll tend to have icebergs being driven by the wind
13:25by the surface currents, show up on our shore.
13:34Their arrival is quite a thrill for people who have icebergs on their bucket list.
13:47Each iceberg is unique.
13:49They capsize, they melt, they're just, just exciting.
13:56It has been quite a dream.
13:58So we're really thrilled to finally be here and to actually see what we're seeing.
14:05Ed Kane is pretty excited to see them too.
14:08But they're less of a novelty for him.
14:11They're his livelihood.
14:12He's one of the last of the old-time ice harvesters.
14:17Should have knocked that stoward off first, see?
14:24Ed collects ice that falls off icebergs.
14:26It's melted and used to make drinks like iceberg beer.
14:30It's Newfoundland, not Disneyland.
14:32You've got to be pretty swift.
14:34And you've got to be on your toes.
14:44The ice we got makes good vodka, good wine, good cider, and good water.
14:50So that's what we're all about.
15:02I mean, I never thought I would be drinking iceberg beer.
15:06What is in this?
15:07A little bit of snow from Greenland from a long time ago.
15:11Right.
15:12And what is a long time ago?
15:13You know, it could be anywhere from a few thousand years to a hundred thousand years old,
15:18depending on where it breaks off from the ice front.
15:21Why would anyone want to bottle it?
15:23So, you know, the water would have fallen as snow pre-Industrial Revolution,
15:28and there's certainly very little in the way of contaminants in it.
15:34Does this ancient glacier iceberg water taste any different to our tap water of today?
15:43Well, we should test that theory, shouldn't we?
15:44I agree.
15:45Cheers.
15:46Cheers.
15:46To icebergs.
15:47Icebergs.
15:52Icebergs.
15:53Pieces of icebergs can end up in a bottle, but that's not the fate for most of them.
15:57A lot of icebergs keep going along what's called Iceberg Alley.
16:04We've heard there are some amazing bergs in Twillingate Harbor.
16:08We want to choose one to call our own.
16:11So Steve and I head out to take a look.
16:17Are we seeing them more than we used to?
16:20The statistics are difficult to actually prove out because the variability from year to year
16:25has been huge for well over a hundred years.
16:29Is that water kind of flowing off of it?
16:32Yes, it is.
16:33That's melt water for sure.
16:34With the air temperature like this, it would be melting pretty quickly.
16:37Well, this berg has shed lots of pieces, and it's deteriorating pretty quickly now
16:41because you can't see it getting smaller unless it actually calves pieces of ice.
16:46And it clearly has recently because around us are many pieces of fragments that have all been shed from that
16:52berg.
16:52Okay, so that big piece of ice and that one and that one, you think these are all parts of
16:58this iceberg?
16:59Absolutely, yeah.
17:02So it's likely all these smaller bergs were originally one iceberg.
17:07The reality is icebergs start melting as soon as they're born, and they often break up when they get to
17:13Newfoundland.
17:15The further south they go, the more they fall apart.
17:28But I have to say, even in pieces, our berg is stunning.
17:36Now I'm wondering what they look like underwater.
17:39As a marine biologist, I know some incredible sea life can gather around icebergs.
17:44But diving under one is extremely risky.
17:49Not something I'm trained to do.
17:51So we're working with an elite dive team.
17:54Jill Heinerth will take the lead.
17:57She's a Canadian legend in the world of underwater exploration.
18:04Hi, Sarika!
18:06It's so good to meet you, finally.
18:09You too, yeah.
18:11I am the hands and the eyes for scientists.
18:15Going to places where they can't go to, maybe going to places that nobody's ever been before.
18:19So I bring back the goods, the samples, the data, and pass it off to a scientist that might spend
18:25the next 10 years studying something that I've brought them.
18:29Nick Hawkins will be close behind Jill.
18:32He's one of Canada's top nature cinematographers.
18:36The last 10 years I've worked as an underwater cinematographer and this is actually going to be the first time
18:41that I'm up close and personal underwater with an iceberg.
18:46Good to go?
18:47Yeah.
18:56One of Newfoundland's most experienced dive teams is supporting us.
19:00There's a lot to consider when preparing for a dive this dangerous.
19:09I do a lot of things that people might think are scary to them, but I think that the risks
19:15that I take are worth it, worth it for data, for information, everything else.
19:18But it is in the top of my mind that this is a risk I'm taking.
19:24If a berg starts to flip, the only warning might be a sudden sound, like a gunshot.
19:30Even the biggest bergs like to do somersaults.
19:34Oh, there's a berg.
19:36Wow.
19:42The big question is, which of the sibling bergs should we film under?
19:47We need one that's not too tall and not too tippy.
19:50All right.
19:51So we're looking at this berg here, Jill.
19:53The thing I like about this is, like, not a lot of overhangs.
19:57Who thinks it could fall on our heads?
19:58Like, this is really far into its evolution.
20:02All right.
20:03You feel good?
20:04You ready?
20:05Yep.
20:05Yeah.
20:06Let's do it.
20:07Let's do it.
20:10The team settles on this iceberg.
20:13It's strong and it's stable.
20:16If anything goes wrong, hand signals can be a lifesaver.
20:21So, Johnny's our fearless leader.
20:23I'll do the navigation.
20:25Yeah.
20:25When we get in the situation, we're not going to go to any real overhangs for any extended period of
20:31time.
20:31Right.
20:31So, if Jason gets caught up, that's going to be our signal to come back out.
20:35Uh-huh.
20:36And then, uh, when you do surface, and if you still find that you're, and I give you the signal.
20:41Yeah.
20:42Like that, that means move away.
20:44Yeah.
20:44Then keep swimming on the surface away because I don't want to go in too close to the berg while
20:48I'm picking you up.
20:58How are you doing, Nick?
21:00Good.
21:00Well, it feels like we're going to the moon.
21:03Good luck.
21:06Nick has never done a dive quite like this.
21:09He's relying on Jill's experience.
21:12And I'm talking that through with Jill and saying, okay, you know, there is a danger zone.
21:16This is the danger zone.
21:17This is what happens if we hear, you know, cracking and noise.
21:37It's not an easy dive, really, uh, to jump in and swim along.
21:42You can be dragged down by vertical currents or pushed back up.
21:47Jill and Nick have to quickly figure out how to work together.
21:50Once they're underwater, there's no communication with the surface.
21:55There are signs everywhere that the bergs in this bay are coming to the end of their lifespans.
22:01Everyone's on high alert.
22:27So
22:48Underwater we're used to hearing the iceberg fizzing and maybe a couple little cracks but
22:53when you hear these louder and deeper retorts, they resonate in your sternum. They're loud.
23:04It's incredible. It's like diving along the side of a skyscraper. And that's when I saw Johnny the
23:09safety diver's light shining trying to get my attention and that's when I was like okay it's
23:14time to pull away. The divers are worried that the ice above them is about to give way. Newfoundlanders
23:21in particular know just how unpredictable icebergs can be.
23:42Our divers resurface after they're scared near the ice wall.
23:48We're all relieved no one was hurt. In fact, the team is determined to go back in
23:54after they've rested up. There's good reason for people here to be wary of icebergs. I was shocked
24:01to discover there's still a hazard today. Even small ones like ours. Is this a pretty busy port?
24:07Yeah. So do you ever see icebergs around here? Oh yes, certainly. Icebergs can be very close just
24:15outside the Narrows. So is that a little bit dangerous then with all this valuable cargo around here?
24:21Over the last 200 years there's been over 600 ship collisions with icebergs so collisions happen.
24:29Unbelievable. Yeah. So what is actually the most dangerous part of an iceberg? The part you can't see.
24:38We've invited a Canadian oceanographer, Juliana Marcon, to join us. She can explain why we often hear the expression
24:46it's just the tip of the iceberg.
24:49Nine-tenths of the icebergs actually submerged. This is a result of the relationship between
24:57the density of the ice and the density of the water.
25:00The density of the ice is around 900 kilograms per meter cubed.
25:04The density of water is around a thousand kilograms per meter cubed.
25:10So if you put 900 over a thousand, you get 90 percent of the iceberg submerged.
25:17And this is what's dangerous.
25:19Now as it melts, its geometry will be altered.
25:23This iceberg has a center of gravity and a center of buoyancy.
25:29When those centers are not aligned, they will produce this rotational force that will make the iceberg flip.
25:37Sometimes what we see on the ocean here, it's actually what was the bottom of an iceberg.
25:42Yeah. But they are going to roll many, many times during their lives.
25:47This is not just happens once or twice.
25:51The Titanic went down southeast of St. John's.
25:55In fact, the city helped with the recovery of bodies.
25:58A new exhibition just opened, curated by a local diver, Larry Dale.
26:03Larry, you are a submersible diver.
26:07I was fortunate enough to make a dive to Titanic and also fortunate enough to meet James Cameron,
26:12who's been a good friend to me for several years and has gifted me some items from the movie, which
26:16I have on display.
26:19And this model shows what Titanic would have faced April 14th, 1912.
26:24And you can see the scale here, you know, based on what we know.
26:27And I mean, if we were to just look at this from above, that iceberg doesn't look very big at
26:32all.
26:32But once you see it from down below, oh my gosh, I mean, that's enormous.
26:38And plus, as you see in this model, it was a starry night.
26:40There was no moon.
26:41The scale of it underwater, it's like hitting a building.
26:45Seeing the props from the movie, you can't help but think about what a loss this was.
26:50More than 1,500 people died.
26:54Like Steve said, collisions with icebergs are still happening.
26:58As recently as 2024, a cruise ship hit an iceberg off Alaska.
27:04Oh my.
27:05We hit some iceberg.
27:07We hit some ice.
27:08Look at this.
27:09Oh my god.
27:11Oh my god.
27:14Obviously a big shock, but everyone was okay.
27:18Just a few kilometers away from the exhibition, at Memorial University, Bruce Quinton is recreating
27:24the impact of a ship hitting an iceberg using pendulums that weigh four and a half tons.
27:30I love this machine.
27:32This is our large, world-class double pendulum apparatus that we use to test ship interaction
27:38with ice and particularly icebergs.
27:40Now we can get up to a mega newton of force in this, which if you wanted to convert that
27:44into
27:45the weight of full-size SUVs, that would be about 50 full-size SUVs.
27:51I'm going to be over here.
27:52I'm going to record the data.
27:54This is the switch to release the pendulums.
27:58Oh my gosh.
27:58You give us a count and say go, and we're on.
28:12We are testing different arrangements of structure.
28:16We're testing different materials.
28:17We're testing different ice shapes, and we're testing different impact energies.
28:21The combination of strength and flexibility is what we're looking for.
28:25Meanwhile, Juliana is studying how icebergs move.
28:28It's part of wider research into how climate change is affecting the ocean.
28:33She's developing a computer model that could help forecast an iceberg's trajectory.
28:38So models like the one that I work with are like the models used by weather forecasting.
28:44So we are running what we call a hindcast.
28:47That's a simulation that represents what happened a few years ago.
28:52With icebergs, we have equations that describe how they will move, how they will melt.
28:58So essentially, all this computer code is trying to solve these complicated equations.
29:04And that's why we use what we call high performance computing.
29:09Those are facilities that have towering computers that work together.
29:13So this is a field where artificial intelligence is becoming more and more important,
29:18where we feed all this information with satellite images,
29:22and teach the AI to identify what is iceberg in that image.
29:31Even with the use of artificial intelligence,
29:34it could be years before computer models can more accurately predict where an iceberg is headed.
29:41Back in Twillingate, our divers are refreshed and eager to get in the water.
29:47I'm in the boat right behind them.
29:51I've asked Jill to bring me up a sample of the marine life around our iceberg.
30:04And as we swim, there's this halo around the berg, kind of making it look a glowing green.
30:12It's all the plankton. It's life. It's a biological soup enveloping the berg.
30:19It's like going to another planet. What are these? They're so alien.
30:22integrating all ouruber�?
30:30Kingredi
30:34Kingredi
30:37Kingredi
30:43Kingredi
30:47Kingredi
30:54they've been down for a while i feel like they probably saw amazing things and they probably
30:59heard a lot too because here on the boat we could hear a lot popping and fizzing and cracking
31:06but i'm hoping that jill and nick got some good plankton
31:10how did it go you guys absolutely fantastic it was crazy so did you do a plankton tow we did
31:16yeah so we can look and see what we got yeah awesome yeah yeah i am trying to flush the
31:23plankton from the inside of the net down into the jar just to conserve as many as we can and
31:30we're using the same water that it came from right yeah i mean these animals must be really microscopic
31:37they're so small yeah they are so small all right let's do it there's something going in there okay
31:44looking forward to getting back onto land and getting this under the microscope
31:50it's funny right this looks like drinking water you would not hesitate to drink that
31:55but it's alive it is absolutely alive so it's it's like a thick soup that's enveloping
32:02the burr because either it's attracted to the minerals that are being released or
32:06it's attracted to the fresh water i don't know exactly wow wow look at that this looks this looks
32:16like algae right like a tiny piece of algae maybe but a very colorful one yeah okay so there's a
32:25couple
32:25and those would be rotifers yeah that was definitely a rotifer definitely a rotifer what exactly is a rotifer
32:31it's like a giant mouth on the end of a football and the cilia the little fingers are sort of
32:37spinning um and stuffing things into its big fat body so it's almost like the iceberg is a nursery
32:45for life yeah pretty much yeah
32:55back in the lab juliana shows us how underwater currents help create the perfect nursery for new
33:02phytoplankton so you can see on the side here where the bloom is coming up it's stirring things a little
33:09bit that stirring is what it will bring up the nutrients from the bottom of the ocean up what you
33:16can also see in the aquarium now is that the top part of it of the water column is very
33:24very blue
33:24that's where the plume the mount plume is accumulating on the surface of the water not on the bottom
33:32is the water that is coming out of the iceberg that is fresh and wants to stay at the top
33:37because
33:38fresh water is less dense so the phytoplankton not only need the nutrients it also needs light
33:45so if that layer keeps the phytoplankton near the surface better for them
33:54the next day jill and nick are back underwater they want to show us the currents juliana was talking about
34:03jill's planning to release a non-toxic dye near the ice wall
34:07it should make the fresh water currents magically appear
34:22it's just just so beautiful to see it streaming out of the bottle and then being carried
34:27by the current it's just otherworldly
34:51scientists are still trying to figure out exactly how icebergs affect the marine ecosystem
34:58freshwater currents bring nutrients from deep underwater up to the surface where the phytoplankton
35:03live icebergs also offer shelter for sea creatures
35:09the dark streak in our berg suggests it contains nutrients that could nourish marine life
35:17as the days go by the team becomes more and more fascinated by the world below our berg
35:25what's below is what's so incredible it's actually grounded on a slope we might come back tomorrow
35:33when it's tipped up on its side and you're seeing an entirely different face of the berg so i think
35:38that's one of the most beautiful things is that changes every minute
35:46sometimes the tide will free a berg that's stuck on the ocean bottom
35:52then it might head out of the harbor and on to new adventures further south but that's not exactly what
36:11happens here
36:13our berg has braved wind water currents and scorching sunshine
36:22now it's facing a new challenge
36:25an overnight rainstorm from off the atlantic
36:37when the sun comes up the next day the iceberg that delighted our divers has disappeared
36:45all that's left are small chunks called growlers just floating on the surface like wreckage from a plane crash
37:04it was actually quite shocking there's all these little pieces that i
37:08you know i even got to get in the water in this kind of field of shards of of ice
37:14and little bits
37:14and you know you're floating there amongst just this debris field of what was once this this incredible incredible thing
37:24it was kind of sad to go out after the big storm and then find that our berg was gone
37:33we guess our berg was three years old
37:38the largest iceberg currently is 39 years old so they it's it's pretty old right now
37:46but most most icebergs won't last that long they will last maybe around a year if they get stuck
37:54in a very cold region they might last for like five or even ten years north of greenland for example
38:01if they are unfortunate enough to get bathed in warmer waters they will
38:07melt very fast
38:10our iceberg and all the sea creatures that surrounded it are now dispersed into the ocean
38:21they had a wonderful journey a very long life sure they lost part of themselves throughout the way
38:30but hopefully those parts helped uh life flourish in the oceans right so just like us we leave little
38:39bits of ourselves uh throughout our journey and hopefully by doing that we sustain and uplift others
38:47around us more than 450 icebergs were spotted off newfoundland and labrador in just one day this past spring
38:57some people wonder whether this is a disappearing phenomenon
39:02scientists don't really know
39:04it's possible more melting could mean more icebergs at least in the near future
39:12but it's pretty likely icebergs aren't going to have as long a lifespan or travel as far
39:19if they don't get as far south then you lose that potential source of minerals
39:24to this part of the ocean for the kalalith the inuit people of greenland icebergs have deep meaning
39:32they are sentinels of a disappearing way of life it's hard to watch the glaciers shrink
39:38and the snow melt earlier
40:13Even in the past, we're going to have a lot of work to do.
40:18We're going to have a lot more work to do.
40:23We're going to have a lot of work to do.
40:25We're going to have to work to do and work to do with our own work.
40:34Most people don't realize that I'm kind of an artist first, and it was maybe my love
40:41of art that brought me to the underwater world.
40:46Icebergs are yin and yang, light and dark, you know, birth and death.
40:53And maybe that's why I like to sketch them with just a pen.
41:01I don't want their image and their importance to be lost.
41:06I want as many people as possible to understand that this is like a living thing that's supporting
41:13the ocean, the very lungs of the planet.
41:21You have these moments underwater where you try to pull back from filming and just look
41:27at where you are.
41:28And it's just this reminder of how beautiful our world is, the immensity of nature.
41:37And yeah, it just really hits home.
41:49It's a wonderful thing to know that the world has been in existence for so long that the
41:56molecules that make each and every one of us up have at some time been a part of the hydrological
42:01cycle cycle, which has no doubt been a part of the glacial ice sheet, the inland ice sheet,
42:07and probably a floating iceberg.
42:10There's actually a little bit of iceberg in every one of us.
42:26When an iceberg breaks away from its mother glacier, in a sense, that iceberg has already started
42:38to die because it's being eroded away by the ocean, pieces are breaking off.
42:45And so there's something about this larger-than-life being breaking down and floating away that speaks
42:57to us, it makes you reflect on life itself.
43:01Whoa!
43:04Whoa!
43:07Whoa!
43:09Whoa!
43:17Whoa!
43:21Whoa!
43:24Whoa!
43:27Whoa!
43:27Whoa!
43:29Whoa!
43:30Whoa!
44:00Transcription by CastingWords
44:06Transcription by CastingWords
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