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A Manhattan-sized chunk of ice that broke off a glacier in Greenland nearly a year ago is drifting toward the coast of Newfoundland, Canada — providing a stunning sight to scientists and curiosity-seekers but also posing a potential threat to ships.
Originally posted by Moshpet
I seem to remember a science fiction story (Texas on the Rocks, by Daniel Da Cruz) where they deliberately broke of a block of ice-pack similar to that and towed it to a drought stricken Texas. (IIRC)
Iceberg Transport International, is considering a plan to find a 100 million-ton iceberg off Antarctica,* wrap it in sailcloth and plastic to slow its melting, and then use powerful tugboats to tow it to the Arabian peninsula, where it would supply enormous quantities of drinking water.
News Image Could a tug bring an iceberg to Africa?
Originally posted by THE_PROFESSIONAL
reply to post by RisenAngel77
Probably not much since these things move really slow. It could definitely crush somethings and coastline. If your house is one the beach in Canada near this thing and it is approaching, I would definitely worry. I do not know how much momentum it can carry while hitting land. Its like a frozen tsunami.
It's unlikely the ice island will get too close to shore because it would probably be "grounded" — meaning it would touch the bottom of the ocean — before reaching the coast, Hache said. Nonetheless, it could interfere with shipping lanes and possibly threaten some offshore oil rigs, he said. Advertise | AdChoices But, Hache noted, "a ship going through this water is already watching for icebergs. This one is quite easy to see, so unless you're blind you shouldn't run into this thing."
Hache said there should be no fear of an impending apocalypse.
"Except for navigation I don’t think there will be any threat; it won't ever go too close to shore," he said.
Originally posted by RisenAngel77
I do realize this may be a dumb question, but I am having trouble realizing what would be the consenquence of this hitting land.
I know that if it drifts southward, it would mean a sudden rise of sea levels around the coasts.
Can anyone explain?
Originally posted by THE_PROFESSIONAL
reply to post by RisenAngel77
Probably not much since these things move really slow. It could definitely crush somethings and coastline. If your house is one the beach in Canada near this thing and it is approaching, I would definitely worry. I do not know how much momentum it can carry while hitting land. Its like a frozen tsunami.
Originally posted by connorromanow
reply to post by THE_PROFESSIONAL
that cant be good. thank god im in the western interioir of canada. but still theres probably going to be some bad aftermath of this
Hache said it was hard to project what course the ice island would take because it was following the water current. "The general direction is south but not in a straight line," he said. "You have different branches of the current. One of the branches could bring it toward shore, other branches could move it further offshore."
It's unlikely the ice island will get too close to shore because it would probably be "grounded" — meaning it would touch the bottom of the ocean — before reaching the coast, Hache said..
Hache said there should be no fear of an impending apocalypse.
"Except for navigation I don’t think there will be any threat; it won't ever go too close to shore," he said.