In 2002 and 2003, offshore operators on the Grand Banks reported an unusually large number of ice islands and large tabular icebergs up to 20 million tonnes, with drafts of 65 to 80m. This paper describes sightings of large tabular icebergs and ice islands in 2001 to 2003 north of the Grand Banks, from Lancaster Sound in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to the Labrador and Newfoundland shelves. Based on the dimensions and surface appearance of the icebergs, the most probable source is the Petermann glacier. MODIS imagery shows large pieces of ice near the front left the glacier fjord in August 2000, and large segments broke off the glacier front in the summer of 2001. Despite above-average calving rates on the eastern side of the Petermann glacier in 2000 to 2001, the glacier front was within the historical limits.
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