NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Researchers in the United States have uncovered what they believe is evidence to suggest that once-massive icebergs floated from northern Canada to southern Florida.
Using high-resolution sea floor mapping, researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) discovered about 700 iceberg scours -- a term referring to “plow marks” on the ocean floor from icebergs -- that run from North Carolina to the Florida Keys.
“The idea that icebergs can make it to Florida is amazing,” WHOI climate modeller Alan Condron said in a news release. “The appearance of scours at such low latitudes is highly unexpected, not only because of the exceptionally high melt rates in this region, but also because the scours lie beneath the northward flowing Gulf Stream.”
The research, published on Thursday in the journal Nature Communications, state the icebergs were about 300-metres thick. They made the more than 5,000-kilometre trip roughly 31,000 years ago in a period known as Heinrich Event 3, which is already known for massive iceberg discharges.
“We also expect that there are younger and older scours' features that stem from other discharge events, given that there are hundreds of scours yet to be sampled,” said USGS research geologist Jenna Hill.
Given the high temperatures in the ocean water near the southern states and the natural flow of the Gulf Stream in the opposite direction of the icebergs’ travel, the researchers believe the only way the iceberg could make it that far before melting is “massive, but short-lived” glacial meltwater discharge from Hudson Bay.
“What our model suggests is that these icebergs get caught up in the currents created by glacial meltwater, and basically surf their way along the coast,” Condron said. “When a large glacial lake dam breaks and releases huge amounts of fresh water into the ocean, there’s enough water to create these strong coastal currents that basically move the icebergs in the opposite direction to the Gulf Stream.”
The researchers also note that these icebergs are crucial in controlling how much warmer water is transported from the southern U.S. to Europe through the Gulf Stream.
“As we are able to make more detailed computer models, we can actually get more accurate features of how the ocean actually circulates, how the currents move, how they peel off and how they spin around,” Hill said. “That actually makes a big difference in terms of how that freshwater is circulated and how it can actually impact climate.”
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
A Canadian diplomat and an RCMP officer heaped praise and gratitude on a sanctioned Haitian businessman that Global Affairs accuses of gangland connections, after he allowed a helicopter airlift of Canadian citizens and police at his luxury golf course last month, emails provided by his lawyers suggest.
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
An immigration lawyer in Toronto says new figures from the federal government show just how 'grudging' Ottawa's efforts have been to rescue Canadians' family members from the war in the Gaza Strip.
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.