In 1986 a gargantuan iceberg broke away from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. It was approximately a rectangle 160 km long, 40.0 km wide, and 250 m thick.
(a) What is the mass of this iceberg, given that the density of ice is 917 kg/m3?
kg
(b) How much heat is required to melt it?
J
(c) Compare this amount of energy with the annual U.S. energy use of 8 ? 1019 J by taking a ratio.
(Eice / EUS)
(d) How many years (365.25 days) would it take sunlight alone to melt ice this thick, if the ice absorbs an average of 110 W/m2, 12.00 h per day?
y