Giant blocks of ice give an almost arctic appearance to the Elbe, 50 kilometers upstream of Hamburg, in northern Germany, an unusual phenomenon paralyzing river navigation and threatening the region with flooding.
The formation of large quantities of ice is due to an episode of intense cold since the beginning of January, with temperatures having dropped to –15°C during the night of January 10 to 11. This weather has led to the formation of a layer of ice several tens of centimeters thick upstream of the Geesthacht dam, Tilman Treber, responsible for navigation on this section of the Elbe within the Waterways Authority (WSV), explained to AFP on Monday.
Icebreaking ships at work
Around ten icebreaking vessels have been deployed for almost two weeks upstream of the dam, in order to fragment the ice in an attempt to reopen the passage and, above all, to prevent its accumulation from leading to a dangerous rise in water levels and flooding the region.
The broken ice sheets were carried downstream by the current and then accumulated at the foot of the dam, in a zone of strong turbulence. In a few days, these masses formed blocks up to 10 meters high, across the entire width of the river, more than 300 meters. The situation is unprecedented since the winter of 2012-2013, notes Mr. Treber.
Dozens of curious people took advantage of the good weather on Monday to walk between the blocks of ice washed up on the shore, which resemble icebergs, noted an AFP photographer.
The intervention of icebreakers to clear this area is delicate, because it can only be done gradually, depending on the tides: the blocks of ice can only be evacuated during the ebb, when the water flows towards the sea, explains Mr. Treber.
According to the WSV, it is difficult to know when navigation, interrupted since January 10, will be able to resume, because temperatures are expected to drop again and lead to new ice formation. “In the past, this type of situation was a little more common,” explains Mr. Treber. Global warming has made these episodes rarer, he adds.
In Hamburg itself, traffic was not affected, thanks to the deployment of several icebreakers last week, assured the authority of Germany’s largest port.
