Iceberg Water: An Assessment (Invited paper)

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Abstract
This review of the idea of using icebergs as a source of fresh water starts with a historical survey covering the period up to April 1980 and stresses how the approach to the subject has changed with time. Both the progress that has been made and the problems that have either just surfaced or never been adequately addressed are discussed. It is concluded that successful tows to Australia, clearly the most easily-reached potential delivery site, are a possibility if icebergs can be demonstrated to retain their structural integrity during tows in high seas and if favorable schemes can be developed for docking and processing. Tows to sites in the northern hemisphere such as Saudi Arabia and California are significantly more difficult and will remain so until an effective and operationally-realistic method is developed for isolating the iceberg from the warm sea-water that will be encountered during part of the tow. Whatever the ultimate resolution of the iceberg-water proposal may prove to be, research stimulated by this idea has already resulted in a major improvement in our knowledge of the life and times of real icebergs in real oceans.

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