Science Questions

How can icebergs survive in the sea?

Everybody knows that salt melts ice. Why are there such big icebergs in the sea? Maria via telephone

Salt makes ice melt at a lower temperature. So in sea water ice will melt at maybe -5 or -6 degrees centigrade. But if you get cold enough, the water will still freeze. And so you can still get icebergs. It's just got to be a bit colder than if it was in a lake. When there's salt in water, the water can get a bit lost in the salt. It gets in the way of the water forming a crystal. It's more difficult for the water to form the crystal, so it has to be a bit colder for it to actually freeze.

January 2007