Polar Icebergs: Overview

Icebergs from Greenland and Antarctica can influence people in many ways, from the sinking of the Titanic to rising sea levels, not to mention the current craze for supposedly pure (and definitely expensive) freshwater from Greenland bergs. People have looked to icebergs for inspiration in art and recreation—in part because icebergs play profoundly contradictory roles as some of nature’s most beautiful sculptures but also deadly hazards. In this way, many have also flaunted big bergs as quintessential obstacles to Polar exploration, travel, and science.

Yet icebergs can also be conjured as crucial natural resources: for water! There have even been proposals to tow Antarctic icebergs to places like California, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia to help resolve water shortages.

This section links to several aspects of icebergs to better understand how societies have interacted with icebergs within and beyond the Polar regions.

Iceberg Topics

Greenland 2019 – Photo by Mark Carey.