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2 weeks ago
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In the chilly waters of the North Atlantic, it's not uncommon to see icebergs floating by.
During the spring and summer, bright white glacial giants of every shape and size drift past the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
But floating serenely amid the pale ice chunks was one iceberg that left a fisherman completely baffled.
While its size was impressive there was one other thing that particularly made it stand out – the fact that it was completely black.
Hallur Antoniussen, originally from the Faroe Islands, was aboard a fishing trawler when he spotted the strange sight last month.
'I have seen icebergs that are rolled, what they say have rolled in the beach with some rocks in it,' he told CBC Radio.
'This one here is completely different. It's not only that he is all black. He is almost…in a diamond shape.'
Mr Antoniussen, 64, said it was hard to estimate the size of the iceberg since it was roughly six kilometres away when he took a photograph of it.
While its size was impressive there was one other thing that particularly made this iceberg stand out – the fact that it was completely black
Icebergs form by breaking off from larger glaciers. Pictured: A group of icebergs entering the sea in Antarctica
An enormous iceberg is seen grounded in the harbour in Newfoundland, Canada. It was off the coast from here that the black iceberg was spotted
However, he believes it was at least three times the size of a regular bungalow.
Icebergs traditionally appear white because they are filled with tiny pockets of trapped air that scatter all wavelengths of light.
One explanation for the rare black iceberg is that it became mixed with a lot of debris thousands of years ago when it was part of a larger glacier.
As glaciers move towards the ocean they grind along the ground, stirring up debris that becomes mixed in with the ice.
Glaciologist Dr Lev Tarasov, from Memorial University in Canada, said it would take a long time for this debris to become as uniformly mixed through as it appears in the image.
He believes the iceberg may have rolled over at some point, and is now showing its underbelly.
'Over time, as it travels around Baffin Bay and down the coast of Labrador, it's melting away,' he said.
'So I think a lot of that ice is melted away. Maybe the part that's clean is underneath?
The Greenland Ice Sheet (pictured) is the second biggest body of ice in the world and covers almost 80 per cent of Greenland's surface. Experts believe the black iceberg could have originated from Greenland
Experts warn the Greenland Ice Sheet (pictured) is cracking open faster than ever, with the number of deep crevasses increasing at an alarming rate
As glaciers move towards the ocean they grind along the ground, stirring up debris that becomes mixed in with the ice. Pictured: A hanging glacier in Dickson Fjord, Northeast Greenland National Park
'Again, 90 per cent of the ice is underneath the water. So we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg on top.'
He added that it's possible the dirt on the iceberg may not have seen the light of day 'for hundreds of thousands of years'.
Another possibility for the dark colouration is that the ice became mixed with soot from a huge volcanic eruption, or even debris from a historic meteor strike.
Dr Tarasov said he observed smaller versions of the black iceberg during his fieldwork on the Kangerlussuaq Fjord in Greenland last summer — but not as impressive.
HOW CAN AN ICEBERG PROVIDE WATER FOR DROUGHT-STRICKEN AREAS?
There have been several attempts at moving icebergs to end droughts.
In 2017, the UAE was experiencing severe water shortages and a project was set up to tow an iceberg to the region.
These plans involved harvesting icebergs from Heard Island, around 600 miles (1,000 kilometres) off the coast of mainland Antarctica.
The only details provided at the time, was that towing would be the most likely method.
South Africa in 2018 is experiencing its worst drought for a century.
A renowned marine salvage master from the country also believes towing an iceberg could be the answer.
Cape Town-based Nick Sloane, director of Resolve Marine, wants to tow a rogue iceberg 1,200 miles form the Antarctic ocean to Cape Town.
He intends to do this by using a material skirt, made of a specialist geotextile, which would fit around the underside of the huge chunk of ice.
In order for this to be successful, the iceberg must be of specific size and shape, with steep sides.
Huge tankers would guide and pull the iceberg through the water and the skirt would help reduce evaporation.
A milling machine would then then cut into the ice, producing a slurry and forming a saucer structure that will speed up the natural process, he said.
The removal of the salt from the water would require huge desalination plants, and a large injection of cash to build plants capable of processing several thousand tonnes.
