17 FACTS about an Iceberg in 2017

1. The word Iceberg refers to chunks of ice larger than 5 meters (16 feet).

2. Icebergs are pieces of ice that formed on land and float in an ocean or lake.

3. Icebergs come in all shapes and sizes, from ice-cube-sized chunks to ice islands the size of a small country.

4. Smaller icebergs, are known as bergy bits and growlers , which can be especially dangerous for ships because they are harder to spot.

5. The North Atlantic and the cold waters surrounding Antarctica are home to most of the icebergs on Earth.

6. Icebergs form when chunks of ice calve , or break off, from glaciers, ice shelves , or a larger iceberg.

7. Icebergs travel with ocean currents, sometimes smashing up against the shore or getting caught in shallow waters.

8. When an iceberg reaches warm waters, the new climate attacks it from all sides. On the iceberg surface, warm air melts snow and ice into pools called melt ponds that can trickle through the iceberg and widen cracks.

Are icebergs important at all?
Well maybe yes, or no, find out below:
9. Icebergs pose a danger to ships traversing the North Atlantic and the waters around Antarctica. After the Titanic sank near Newfoundland in 1912, the United States and twelve other countries formed the International Ice Patrol to warn ships of icebergs in the North Atlantic.

10. Icebergs can also serve as tools for scientists, who study them to learn more about climate and ocean processes.

Why do scientists study icebergs?
11. Climate scientists study icebergs as they break up for clues to the processes that cause ice shelf collapse.

12. Scientists have noticed that the way icebergs break up when they reach warmer waters mirrors the disintegration of Antarctic ice shelves. By studying the factors that cause icebergs to break up, researchers hope to better understand the influences that lead to ice shelf breakup, and to better predict how ice shelves will respond to a warming climate.

13. Oceanographers follow icebergs because the cold freshwater they contribute to the sea can influence currents and ocean circulation far away from their origins.

14) Biologists study icebergs to find out how they influence ocean life. As icebergs melt, they leak nutrients into the ocean around them.

15) Recent studies have shown that the water surrounding icebergs teems with plankton, fish, and other sea animals,  thereby contributing their successful habitation.

16) The greatest and highly Massive Iceberg Broke Off from Antarctica in July 2017.

17) Some critical authors believe success figure could be likened to an iceberg;
The iceberg: success mask

Sourced: (National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 2017)

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