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Science

233 sq. mile Iceberg 24

Posted by michael from the on-the-rocks dept.
Nevyan sends in a link about a substantial iceberg breaking free of the Antarctic ice.
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233 sq. mile Iceberg More

233 sq. mile Iceberg

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  • Is this big? I know it's a big IceBerg but is this like really really big for one? The Picture looked like it is in a lake or something. This wouln't get out to a place it can do damage or anything will it?
  • Any creative ideas of how to use large icebergs like this for any good? I mean if it is moving it would take a lot of force to move it. What if you attached a cable to it and the other end to a motor so that as the cable got stretched it would be moving a motor and creating electricity?
    • I guess in theory you could generate some electricity, but the generator would be moving very very slowly compared to a turbine in any "normal" generator, so you'd likely get much less out of it. And even if you did get electricity, it would be in Antarctica - you'd have to build cables across oceans to get it anywhere useful.

      I really doubt there's anything much we can do with an iceberg floating around in Antarctica somewhere. Frankly, I'm not even really sure why it matters at all or what it means. Do you suppose having large icebergs break off is a symptom of global warming? Or does it just happen every once in a while?

      • Do you suppose having large icebergs break off is a symptom of global warming? Or does it just happen every once in a while?

        Icebergs break off all of the time, although I think this is a really big one as far as that goes. I think that one shouldn't consider one iceberg a symptom of global warming, because it's just not that big in the grand scheme of things.

        I would just guess that higher temperatures are making, not so much bigger icebergs, but just many more medium size icebergs.

    • At various times people have talked about towing big icebergs from the south up to places where fresh water costs a lot, like California or Saudi Arabia. The iceberg would be moored off shore and surrounded by a floating boom, so that as it melted the fresh water would be trapped (it floats on the salt water before it mixes) and drawn off for use.

      An iceberg this big could not be towed. But maybe people could go on board and stud the big thing with masts that had radio and computer controlled sails, and try to move it that way. You have a lot of time, because something of this size would take years to melt even at the equator. A chunk of ice shelf this size will calf off icebergs itself, so the project would have to watch and track them and warn shipping. Moving a chunk of ice shelf this way may be easier than towing a normal iceberg, because it won't roll over as it melts.

      Towing icebergs to get fresh water: http://www.antarctica.org/UK/Envirn/pag/glaces_UK/ oceanes_UK/remorquer_UK.htm [antarctica.org].

      This has happened before: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=00/07/24/171420 0 [slashdot.org].

    • A developer could build a ski resort on the equator.
    • This could be useful in negotiations with the Taliban. If they agree to abandon Kunduz and Kandahar and in fact all of Afghanistan they will be given a 223 sq mile nation of their own - complete virgin territory. They will have complete and utter control and no other nation will interfer in their affairs. We will even provide transportation for themselves and their faithfull followers.
  • We need to make good use of this iceberg - quick, somebody build a gigantic unsinkable ship! A 233 sq mile unsinkable ship! And put Leonardo DiCaprio on it! Wheeee!

    • Re:Hurry up! (Score:3, Informative)

      by Detritus ( 11846 )
      I think there was a plan during World War II to tow an iceberg into the middle of the Atlantic ocean and use it as an aircraft carrier. There was a gap in the middle of the Atlantic ocean where ship convoys lost their air cover and were vulnerable to attack by German U-boats.
    • Titanic! Dead ahead!
  • Suppose the iceberg houses pinguin colonies or other wildlife? What happens with them. Are they aware they're afloat? Can they reach main land again?
  • I have also heard that the Ross Ice Shelf (which is the size of the state of Deleware in square miles) is getting ready to break off as well and could possibly raise world sea levels by 3 feet when it is fully melted.
    • If it were floating, wouldn't it immediately raise sea levels?

      3 feet would be an insane amount, 3 inches sounds more reasonable.
      • We are talking about an iceberg the size of a small state for crying out loud, and most of the ice in antarctica is already floating. It won't raise sea levels significantly until all that water is released.

        Yes, 3 feet is an insane amount, but thats a lot of friggin ice, considering that 90% of the iceberg is actually underwater.

        • Floating? Most of the ice in Antarctica is not floating! There's land under there you know - Antarctica's a continent.

          Now the Ross Ice Shelf is floating - I'm not sure how that would affect sea levels if it melted.

  • officially claim this "land" and form a new country. I'd do it, but I'm busy this weekend.

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