Quick! Tow it it a place that needs fresh water!.......like Colorado......
“Quick! Tow it it a place that needs fresh water!.......like Colorado......”
Eck-chually, I had a coastal area in mind.
Now that you mention it, though, I wonder what the economics would be of mooring the ice, building a small pipeline (with few of the safety features needed for a petroleum pipeline), then putting a pumping station on the ice.
I don't think there are enough tugboats on the planet to tow an iceberg the size of Northern Ireland.
Actually we don’t need more water, although it would be nice if we stop giving it to southern California. We’ve had record snowfall this year so the spring thaw should be fun.
Actually, our drought is finally over. Thanks to global warming, the snowpack is about 120% of normal this year. Some towns in the southwestern mountains have run out of places to put the stuff.
A GPS equipped robot could cost effectively pilot a blob of fresh water thousands of miles, especially if it navigates into the right current. A plastic wrapper could keep the water contained as it melts. The ice berg could be shaped into an airfoil both horizontally and vertically to take advantage of currents, waves, and winds. A drag chute or anchor could be deployed when the ice berg moves in the wrong direction, causing natural motion to push it in a desired direction. Maybe melting water could somehow be turned into hydro power to drive a propeller or winch to move the ice berg.
If fresh water is worth 60 cents per gallon the average ice berg is worth $40 million. I could retire on one ice berg delivery.