Icebergs

How Much Do You Know About
ICEBERGS?

Want hear an iceberg sing?
How about watching one explode when a cruise ship runs into it?
A good way to start learning about icebergs is to visit this month’s YouTube playlist, with ten iceberg-related videos:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7F0F9570F20AC686

1. How big was the iceberg that stopped the Titanic?

According to http://www.titanic-nautical.com/RMS-Titanic-Iceberg-FAQ.html, the exact size of the famous iceberg will never be known, but it was estimated to be about 50 to 100 feet high and 200 to 400 feet long. Learn more at http://express.howstuffworks.com/wq-iceberg.htm.

2. What does it mean when an iceberg “calves”?

It has nothing to do with cows, but if glaciers had babies, they would be icebergs. According to http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1216/glaciertypes/glaciertypes.html, an iceberg is calved when part of a glacier falls into the ocean.

3. How much is “the tip of an iceberg?” (How much of an iceberg is above water?)

According to http://bit.ly/4M6LSl (www.coolantarctica.com) “the tip of the iceberg” can vary between 50% to 99% of the total size of the berg. That’s because bubbles of air might be trapped in the ice, causing it to rise out of the water. This can also make it unstable.

4. T/F: Water from a melted iceberg would taste salty.

False. According to http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/iceberg/index.html, icebergs come from snow, which is fresh water. You could break off a chunk of an iceberg and drink it, and if you were stuck on an iceberg, at least you wouldn’t die of thirst. After you’ve explored the pages on this site, take their interactive quiz to see what else you’ve learned about icebergs: http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/students/iceberg/iceberg_quiz.htm.

5. How big can an iceberg get?

Really big. Visit http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=3955, where you can see photos of an iceberg named B-15 that was about the size of Long Island, NY. During a storm in 2000, it broke away from Antarctica and started floating, blocking shipping lanes and penguin migration routes. You can see other giant icebergs from satellites, at http://www.avistadegoogle.com/88/15/Iceberg and http://bit.ly/8K1Khn.

6. How fast do icebergs move?

Generally, really slow according to http://www.icebergfinder.com/iceberg-guide/iceberg-faq.aspx#a5. The average drift speed is about as fast as you can walk, but can be affected by winds or currents.

7. What is the Cryospher, and why should you care?

The Cryospher refers to the part of the earth that is below freezing. It is important to watch because the size of the earth’s ice caps tell us if the earth’s temperature is changing. Learn more at http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?3619 or watch the YouTube video at right.