The Arctic and Antarctic are natural “enterprises” for the production of unique environmentally friendly products - icebergs. These are huge ice masses, sometimes their area reaches several thousand square kilometers! Some icebergs are comparable in size to the Crimean peninsula.
Iceberg Danger
In the desert waters of Antarctica, icebergs are not particularly dangerous. If they are interested in someone else, except for the captains of ships that are infrequently approaching the White Continent, then perhaps glaciologists. Each large Antarctic iceberg receives a name at birth and is monitored from aircraft and space satellites until the last day. Where the big problem is the Arctic icebergs. They drift along the shipping lanes of the North Atlantic. Once the sailors had to rely only on the vigilance of the forward looking.
At the beginning of the 20th century, ship sirens began to be used. Their sound bounced off the surface of tall icebergs, warning of danger. And if you came across a low instance, then you had to rely solely on luck. After the tragic death of the Titanic as a result of a collision with a huge block of ice in 1914, the International Ice Patrol was created. 13 countries agreed to patrol the North Atlantic basin. Until the 1940s, ships in the region carried patrols. After the end of World War II, observations were carried out mainly from the air.Having discovered an iceberg, the patrol determines its exact location, predicts a drift and then transmits radio reports to nearby ships twice a day.
Iceberg formation
Facilitate the lives of sailors and radars installed on ships. But these modern tools cannot give a full guarantee of security. At first glance, the glaciers appear motionless. In fact, they are very plastic and resemble thick honey in consistency. Under pressure of its own weight, the ice cap is spreading in different directions with an average speed of 10-1000 meters per year. When the edges of a glacier extend into the sea, they become unstable and break off. So icebergs are formed.
In large ice masses from the air you can see the so-called ice rivers, when the ice floes lay their channel and “flow” to the open ocean water. Having reached the edge of the glacier and breaking off, they form flat and even - table-shaped - icebergs. And lumps that differ in bizarre forms, which broke off directly from the glaciers, are called glaciologists by the ice mountains. It is difficult to predict the moment when an iceberg occurs. In 1986, a piece of a glacier unexpectedly broke off in Antarctica, on which the Soviet field expeditionary base Druzhnaya-1 had settled shortly before. People were evacuated, and the construction of the base drifted with the iceberg for ten years.
Interesting Iceberg Facts
Up to 3.5 thousand cubic kilometers of ice breaks from Antarctica annually. The sixth continent supplies more than 90% of the icebergs of the planet.Once every 20-25 years, climatic fluctuations cause a sharp increase in the number of formed Antarctic blocks. The last time this phenomenon was recorded in 1986. So soon we can expect the next “fruitful year”. Ice blocks drifting at the speed of the ocean current quickly melt, acquiring the most fantastic forms on the surface and under water. And the wind, blowing into the holes and crevices of the iceberg, makes it mysteriously buzz.
But the shape of the icebergs is more bizarre, and therefore the repertoire is much richer. Getting close to icebergs is dangerous. Due to melting, the center of gravity between its surface and underwater parts is constantly shifting, and the block can roll over in a matter of seconds. In the best case, the ship will be hit by a rising wave.
Icebergs turn over more than once during their journey. But this does not stop thrill-seekers. The conquest of icebergs has become one of the extreme sports. Not only extreme people are at risk of approaching these unstable ice mountains.
The iceberg is a great place for fishing and hunting. Once in the warm latitudes, the iceberg begins to thaw, and krill - planktonic sea crustaceans - accumulate around it. They are attracted to cool water. Behind here rush krill-eating fish, followed by birds, seals and bears. The last to come are hunters and fishermen.
Clean iceberg water in the coastal countries of the North Atlantic is used in the food industry, in particular for the production of exclusive alcoholic beverages.Canadians were particularly successful in this, who began “fishing” icebergs in 1971, towing the first block of ice to the port. Towing icebergs in arid regions could solve the problem of drinking water, from the lack of which 2 billion people suffer on Earth. The clean, cool water of the icebergs could save the dying reefs.
In Russia, the city authorities of Vladivostok are seriously considering getting fresh water from ice blocks. Nowadays, tourist cruises are increasingly organized in iceberg drift areas, but sailors prefer to stay at a respectful distance. Fortunately, in clear weather, “tramps of the seas” shining in the sun are visible from afar.
