Unexpected ice
Since disappearing at the end of May, vast quantities of sea ice was the last potential hindrance on our minds as the research season gathered momentum in north-eastern Newfoundland this week. However on the afternoon of Thursday May 11th a suspicious pale patina was visible on the horizon, and upon waking the next morning we were greeted by the unmistakable sight of an unbroken wall of ice moving inshore.
Due to the freezing temperatures, fieldwork was impossible and most of Friday June 12th was spent observing the interaction between the incoming ice and the many seabirds moving along the coastline. Large flocks of distant auks were wheeling hundreds of metres in the air above the edge of the ice, unusual for these chunky birds that prefer to fly low over the water. It was unclear if the far side of the ice field was visible for they flew back and forth endlessly, reluctant to cross. Species I had not seen previously in the area such as red-throated loons and Atlantic puffins passed close to shore, while endless groups of northern gannets and double-crested cormorants moved along the ice edge. I had just been reading reports from March and April of polar bears alighting on Newfoundland from pack ice, although predictably none appeared.
By evening the harbour at Musgrave was filled by ice, the bay almost so, and the majority of the seabirds had disappeared, whether finding clear passage or finally making a break for the ocean I was not sure. Our access to field sites is currently disrupted and so our research is on hold until the ice breaks up or moves on. More worrying is the effect this unseasonably late ice and accompanying low sea temperature may have on the breeding period of seabirds and spawning times of the fish that they prey on. We will continue to monitor any effects this climate anomaly may be having throughout the research period.
