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I know this can potentially sound very stupid given the actual size, but can't we bomb it (target specific parts with a lot of firepower) in an attempt to break
by _hao 6y ago
I know this can potentially sound very stupid given the actual size, but can't we bomb it (target specific parts with a lot of firepower) in an attempt to break it up if it poses such a danger to actual wildlife if it collides/approaches the island? The ocean then potentially will carry some of the pieces away and miss the island?
- makerofspoons 6y agoThere have been tests to accelerate the breakup or melting of icebergs with bombs, and it has been found to be ineffective and expensive even for much smaller icebergs: https://navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=iipIsItPracticalToDestroyIcebergsBeforeTheyReachTheShippingLanes https://navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=iipIsItPracticalToDestroyI...
- nickelcitymario 6y agoThat's unfortunate. I liked the elegance of such a brutish potential solution. I know this definitely sounds dumb and juvenile, but I genuinely wish more problems could be solved with bombs.
- js2 6y agoSurely you’re familiar with the exploding whale story, but if not: https://youtu.be/V6CLumsir34 https://youtu.be/V6CLumsir34
- interestica 6y agoOr Project Plowshare https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Plowshare https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Plowshare
- speakeron 6y agoThis thing is the size of Jamaica with a draft of 200m (and so a height of more than that). It would take multiple nuclear weapons to do it any real kind of damage.
- _hao 6y agoI didn't want to mention nukes as to the potential fallout that close to this precious wildlife will probably do way more harm than the actual iceberg.
- unhammer 6y agoPresumably same issues as nuking hurricanes :) https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd-faq/#hurricane-mitigation https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd-faq/#hurricane-mitigation
- interestica 6y agoI know the article makes the Jamaica comparison. But the iceberg is 4200km sq and Jamaica is 10000km sq.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- 83 6y agoWhy do people always feel the need to interfere with nature? Looking at their diagram of penguin colonies it looks like at most 40% could be blocked from the sea by this iceburg. Yes it will suck for the half of the island that gets wiped out but in 10 years when this thing is melted and gone the penguins from the other side will reestablish colonies and life will go on.
- toomuchtodo 6y agoBecause we can, and we are nature too.
- derryrover 6y agoWe are nature. We did this. We did global warming. Without global warming this probably would not have happenned. So we try to solve it ( or not)
- mikhailfranco 6y ago"I see an iceberg and I want it painted black" The Melting Tones