# Melting ice due to global warming...is it useable?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melting-ice-due-to-global-warming-is-it-useable/426737>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 16, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melting-ice-due-to-global-warming-is-it-useable/426737 "2007-11-16T18:45:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melting-ice-due-to-global-warming-is-it-useable/426737/1 "2007-11-16T18:45:27Z")

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Probably an off the wall question, but I know that one of the major concerns about Global Warming is that it will release a lot of fresh water into the worlds oceans, not only raising the sea level but also diluting the salt water.

My question is…is there any way to use that massive release of fresh water to our advantage? And are there any proposals or groups looking into this in a serious way? I know that here in the US water is a problem in several regions. Here in the South West it’s a constant struggle between states to get all the water needed for all of those easterners to move out here and have nice green lawns. Additionally there is a huge amount of agriculture in several of the south western states, despite the fact that we do live in a desert. Also, I know that several regions in the south and mid-west have been in a drought for quite a long time…and in the south especially they are really starting to hit the wall where water is concerned. It’s also quite a big problem in other countries throughout the world.

Yet all of this fresh water is melting in Greenland and at the poles. Isn’t there any way to use that water in parts of the world that need water badly? Is anyone even looking into this?

-XT

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**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\
**Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/melting-ice-due-to-global-warming-is-it-useable/426737/2 "2007-11-16T19:06:14Z")

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[Sounds like fun!](http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4320989.PN.&OS=PN/4320989&RS=PN/4320989)

> [@](#):
>
> United States Patent 4,320,989  
> March 23, 1982  
> Method for moving icebergs in a body of water and related apparatus
> 
> Abstract
> 
> A low cost method for transporting an iceberg from one location to another in a body of water without the need of boarding, or physical pushing or pulling contact therewith. The method involves the releasing of a large volume of air bubbles underwater in specific proximity to a portion of the floating iceberg. The bubbles are formed by allowing air to escape from openings in a submerged tube structure to form a shroud or wall of many bubbles. The bubbles are released in such areas as to provide bubble envelopment of a portion of the subsurface of the iceberg. Primarily, this raises the water surface of a peripheral portion of the iceberg to result in an increase in pressure and movement of the iceberg away from the bubble-enveloped side of the iceberg.