Dec 14, 2010

Trade in Icebergs

French engineers are exploring the possibility of transporting icebergs from Greenland to provide fresh drinking water in the Canary Islands. The idea is to capture the the ice that would otherwise melt into the ocean and use it as an alternative source for drinking water. A recent study estimates that, on the optimal path, it would take 141 days and 4,000 tonnes of fuel consumption to transport an iceberg initially weighing 7 million tonnes the 35,000 km between Greenland and the Canary Islands. Upon reaching its final destination, the iceberg would weight just over 4 million tonnes. Gives a whole new meaning to the term iceberg trade costs!

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