Some Elements of Iceberg Technology

• Main Authors: Weeks,W F, Mellor,Malcolm
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER N H
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1978
• Subjects: Snow; Ice and Permafrost; Marine Engineering; *ANTARCTIC REGIONS; *TOWING; *ICEBERGS; SIZES(DIMENSIONS); GLACIOLOGY; ENGINEERING; CUTTING TOOLS; TOWING VEHICLES; TUGBOATS; TOWED BODIES; Antarctic; Antarc*; Ice; Iceberg*; permafrost
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA053431; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA053431

Many of the technical questions relating to iceberg transport are given brief, but quantitative, consideration. These include iceberg genesis and properties, the mechanical stability of icebergs at sea, towing forces and tug characteristics, drag coefficients, ablation rates, and handling and processing the iceberg at both the pick-up site and at the final destination. In particular the paper attempts to make technical information on glaciological and ice engineering aspects of the problem more readily available to the interested planner or engineer. Specific conclusions include: (1) No unprotected iceberg, no matter how long or wide, would be likely to survive the ablation caused by a long trip to low latitudes. (2) Icebergs that have a horizontal dimension exceeding 2 km may well be prone to breakup by long wavelength swells. (3) To avoid the dangers associated with an iceberg capsizing, the width of a 200-m thick iceberg should always be more than 300 m. (4) For towing efficiency the length/width ratio of a towed iceberg should be appreciably greater than unity. (5) For a pilot project, the selected iceberg would have to be quite small, if for no other reason than the practical availability of tug power. (Author)