RE: A Snowball’s Chance in the Southern Ocean
First, I'll say that those are the first two things I think of when I think of icebergs. I also think of glaciers in Alaska, but that's different. And I like your articles, because they're well thought out and interesting to read. Also, you have lots of pretty pictures and I find picture books easier to read than the ones without. :)
Regarding the feasibility of actually towing an iceberg somewhere, it's not an ideal solution. First, icebergs aren't a renewable resource. They're not something that is being produced on a mass scale and can be created whenever the older ones are used up.
Second, they paint the decks of the oil tankers white because it gets so hot when they're going through the UAE and such that the difference between a white deck and a red deck is like 10% of their cargo. (I think that was right. It was from a show on Netflix).
Third, if you don't remove the iceberg from the salt water when (if) it reaches its destination, then you would be losing large amounts of fresh water there which could do serious damage to the ecosystem.
That's just my opinion. I'd actually think that processing (melting) the loose icebergs on location and transporting the water to the destination would be a more efficient and safe way to get fresh water there. Just something to consider.
Thanks for another thought-provoking and entertaining article!
That's interesting about the ships being painted white; I hadn't known that. Yes, UAE makes no sense to me, but I could see someone trying this for Australia or southern Africa. They've been debating it since the 19th Century and I think someone just needs to try it. Either it will work well or will be a total boondoggle, but either way we'll learn which one. For processing, I would guess they'd need to set something up in a deepwater harbor where they wall it off somehow, maybe creating a giant condom for it or using a lock system to tow the whole mess into its own big tank that would have the salt water pumped out upon arrival.
Good use of the word "boondoggle!" Ha ha. I think you're right that Australia or Cape Town would be a better location for a test run. The UAE likely has more money for such a venture though. And they would want to be the first place that had it done, at least for the notoriety. That's just my guess. I imagine someone is working on a solution that could put some sort of bag around the iceberg, but it would be challenging. How do you keep the bag from tearing, and how do you deal with the shrinkage as the ice melts and just becomes water? I'm curious to see if someone actually tries this.