MadSci Network: Earth Sciences |
The quick answer to your question is think about where the iceberg came from, rather than where it might float to. By your subject line it looks like you know that icebergs are "calves" of glaciers; they're just chunks that break off from the glacier. The glaciers are formed from precipitation that has fallen at some point in the past as fresh water. So icebergs come originally from rain and snow, rather than seawater that freezes. But even if icebergs originally came from salt water, they would still be mostly fresh. Salt water freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water, and as it freezes it excludes the salts from the ice. The end result is ice that is mostly pure water with pockets of concentrated salts in it. A quick web search located a site with more information of glaciology. It can be found at http://www.antdiv.gov.au/aad/sci/glacio/glacio.html Good luck with your search for more information!