Neal Thayer, a biological oceanographer and senior ice observer, refers to icebergs as metamorphic rocks that happen to be made of water. Their ice was formed under pressure, so they last like a rock and fracture like a rock.
Experienced sailors (in iceberg regions) say at night or in foggy conditions when you might not be able to see the icebergs, you can hear and smell them. One old sailor said they smell like cucumbers.
For more interesting facts and trivia about icebergs, visit Icebergs of Newfoundland and Labrador listed below in our Chart of Websites.
We have only touched the "tip of the iceberg," so to speak. If you want to delve deeper and go below the snow line, try researching these topics: Ice streams, Glaciers, Icecap, Ice sheet, Firn, Moraines, Bedrock, and Crevasse.
Questions that come to mind are:
1. Why are tabular ice bergs found predominantly in the Antarctic region and castle (pinnacle) ice bergs in the Arctic region (or are they)?
2. Why are ice bergs a hazard to ships? After all, they're only ice.
3. What determines the color of an ice berg?
4. Are ice bergs made of fresh water or salt water? Can you explain your answer?
Critical Thinking Questions:
5. If ice bergs are "harvested" (towed from their natural environment to warmer climates of little rainfall), what effect, if any, might this have on the oceans and climate at the Arctic and Antarctic regions?
6. Towing ice bergs to warmer climates has proven to be problematic (hard to do). What are some of the problems and how would you solve them?