UAE Company Plans To Tow Iceberg From Antarctica To Fix Water Shortage
- 7 years ago
A company in Abu Dhabi has developed an unusual plan to boost tourism and the supply of fresh water in the area.
A company in Abu Dhabi has developed an unusual plan to boost tourism and the supply of fresh water in the area.
Gulf News is reporting that the firm, called National Advisor Bureau Limited, “plans to tow icebergs to the UAE [or, United Arab Emirates,] from Antarctica in early 2018.”
As Abdullah Mohammad Sulaiman Al Shehi, one of the managing directors of the company, told the news outlet about the UAE Icebergs Project, “Our simulator predicts that it will take up to one year [to tow an iceberg to UAE]. We have formulated the technical and financial plan. Towing is the best method.” He added, “We want it mainly for the water. It could also be good for tourism and the weather.”
The reported destination for the iceberg is the Fujairah coast. One hope is that the cold mass, which holds around 20 billion gallons of fresh water each on average, will cause the surrounding climate to change, resulting in more rainfall.
Rapid melting due to the region’s high temperatures is a concern, but according to Time Out Dubai, “The National Advisor Bureau claims the highly reflective surface of an iceberg will largely protect it from the sunlight and heat of the Middle East, but didn’t go so far as to give expected lifespan of each iceberg it plans to tow.”
A company in Abu Dhabi has developed an unusual plan to boost tourism and the supply of fresh water in the area.
Gulf News is reporting that the firm, called National Advisor Bureau Limited, “plans to tow icebergs to the UAE [or, United Arab Emirates,] from Antarctica in early 2018.”
As Abdullah Mohammad Sulaiman Al Shehi, one of the managing directors of the company, told the news outlet about the UAE Icebergs Project, “Our simulator predicts that it will take up to one year [to tow an iceberg to UAE]. We have formulated the technical and financial plan. Towing is the best method.” He added, “We want it mainly for the water. It could also be good for tourism and the weather.”
The reported destination for the iceberg is the Fujairah coast. One hope is that the cold mass, which holds around 20 billion gallons of fresh water each on average, will cause the surrounding climate to change, resulting in more rainfall.
Rapid melting due to the region’s high temperatures is a concern, but according to Time Out Dubai, “The National Advisor Bureau claims the highly reflective surface of an iceberg will largely protect it from the sunlight and heat of the Middle East, but didn’t go so far as to give expected lifespan of each iceberg it plans to tow.”