Re: Why doesn't the ocean salt water melt icebergs?

Road salt works because the freezing temperature of a water + salt mixture is lower than the freezing temperature of just water. If the air temperature is warmer than the freezing temperature of the ice+salt mix, the ice will melt.

Road crews and sidewalk owners use quite a lot of salt, enough to lower the freezing point to -10 degrees C or less (15 F). However, the ocean is much less salty: it's only about 3.5 percent salt. Water with this much salt freezes at -3 C (27 F). As long as the temperature stays below this point, the ice won't melt. And in the Arctic and Antarctic, temperatures are below this level for most of the year.

But eventually, icebergs do melt. As they are carried into warmer waters by ocean currents, they melt faster and faster. However, they're so big that it can take them years to melt away completely.