LIKE graceful sculptures of white rising from the sea, these icebergs are an undeniably beautiful sight.

But as magnificent as the photographs are, according to the man who took them, they are also a dire warning of how our climate is changing.

German travel photographer Rolf Hicker has spent the last 15 years off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, cataloguing the bergs.

As increased temperatures melt the polar ice caps, sea levels are rising and icebergs like these are breaking off into the ocean at a far faster rate than before.

Rolf, 42, says: “I remember for years we hardly saw any icebergs. But in 2007 there was a record number, with four or five times more than there had ever been in one season.

Ancient ... some of these blocks are more than 15,000 years old

Rolf Hicker / Barcroft Media

“For me this is a clear sign that something very bad is happening in the Arctic.”

He adds: “Icebergs have always fascinated me, they are all different. I love Newfoundland and Labrador because they are the best places to watch bergs.”

Floating just metres from the shore, the glittering towers of ice are nothing short of staggering — as Rolf’s pictures prove.

Measuring as high as a 20-storey building and with the potential to weigh more than ten million tons, some of these blocks are more than 15,000 years old.

Bubbles

And, as the saying goes, we only see the tips of these vast chunks of ice — 90 per cent of their mass is under water.

Most of the icebergs in the North Atlantic come from about 100 berg-producing glaciers along the Greenland coast.

Ominous ... these icebergs are a sign that the world is warming at an alarming rate

Rolf Hicker / Barcroft Media

These glaciers are among the fastest-moving in the world, with speeds of up to 4.3 miles year.

Approximately 40,000 medium to large icebergs calve — break off — each year in Greenland and are then carried south in the cold current.

The brilliant white of these blocks is because the ice is full of tiny bubbles that reflect white light. Their interior temperature ranges from -15°C to a wintry -20°C.

The size of the bergs can also vary massively, from very large — greater than ten million tons and hundreds of metres long — to small “growlers” the size of a grand piano.

The shapes vary too, from huge flat-topped “tabular” bergs to smaller U-shaped ones. Putting them in categories helps scientists to understand their melting patterns.

Brilliant white ... colour is caused by tiny bubbles

Rolf Hicker / Barcroft Media

The largest northern hemisphere iceberg on record was encountered near Baffin Island in 1882. It was 8.7 miles long, 3.7 miles wide and had a freeboard — height above water — of about 22 yards.

The mass of that berg was in excess of nine BILLION tons — enough water for everyone in the world to drink 1.7 pints a day for more than four years.

For photographer Rolf, it was the beauty of the bergs that first attracted him to the area. A professional photographer since he was 16, he has produced award-winning travel photographs which take in a vast array of animals and natural phenomena.

He goes through a stringent routine of preparation before each shoot and says: “There is a lot of planning that goes into each photograph — too much.

“We pick the main shots then give them priority for light. The rest get standard light. You can only really get two outstanding shots a day.”

Ice island ... bergs can weigh millions of tons

Rolf Hicker / Barcroft Media

As well as being nice to look at, Rolf says his incredible images highlight issues which are important to him. Earlier this month Nasa satellite pictures showed how the North Pole has become an island for the first time in human history.

The startling images showed that melting ice has opened up the fabled North-West and North-East passages — making it possible to sail around the Arctic ice cap.

The opening of the passages has been eagerly awaited by shipping companies who hope they will be able to cut thousands of miles off their routes.

Fears ... Rolf Hicker

But climate-change scientists say the development is yet another sign of the damage that global warming is inflicting on the planet.

As Rolf says: “It almost seems like there are no four seasons any more. Everything is way more extreme than usual.”

And as this collection of photographs shows, extreme conditions might make for some remarkable pictures — but they don’t say much for the future of the planet.

Friends Of The Earth’s climate change campaigner Robin Webster says: “These images highlight the harsh reality that climate change is already affecting our natural world.

“Experts warn we are on a climate collision course that will change our way of life for ever unless world leaders change direction now and lead us to a greener future.

“The UK government must stop attempts to wriggle out of EU targets for green energy and strengthen the Climate Change Bill to include emissions from aviation and shipping.

“Images of melting Arctic ice are a sign of things to come — the harsh reality is that climate change is set to have a devastating effect on people and wildlife all over the world.

“The loss of our mighty Arctic glaciers is a warning signal for us all, but it is just one of the changes which may trigger runaway global warming which cannot be reversed.

“Rising sea levels and Arctic shrinkage will change the world as we know it. Indeed, we are already dealing with the consequences.”

r.ley@the-sun.co.uk