Submarine that creates icebergs can be used to help rebuild the polar ice cap

RE: Submarine that creates icebergs can be used to help rebuild the polar ice cap

dougw — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 05:48:20 GMT

You definitely need to do the math, otherwise you end up with a situation like it takes more energy to grow the corn to make ethanol than the energy recovered by burning the ethanol. However people need to dare to dream and postulate creative solutions. Those ideas should not be discouraged. Then it is up to the engineers and makers to figure out how to make wacky ideas practical.

RE: Submarine that creates icebergs can be used to help rebuild the polar ice cap

balearicdynamics — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 05:18:58 GMT

Frankly IMHO, when I read this kind of projects (my chemist soul impact on these thoughts) I think that until there is no solid documentation of the mathematics, including all the real parameters influencing the equation I tend to consider these less trustable than a fiction novel. No one has considered that – just for example – the underwater hotel included in the submarine will strongly participate in a dramatic increase in the thermodynamic costs as humans consume and need energy, heating, oxygen and more? Without considering the balance between the – supposing it will – advantage of repopulating the arctic sea with icebergs respect the polluting impact of humans that do nothing else than paying for enjoying the experience producing trash, biological stuff and more and more...

Seriously doubting it the project goes in the direction of a sort of underwater titanic.

Enrico

RE: Submarine that creates icebergs can be used to help rebuild the polar ice cap

colporteur — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 02:23:59 GMT

Thank the deity for skimming. I read the first few sentences, then scrolled to the last.

Anymore time invested is diminishing returns.

Sean

RE: Submarine that creates icebergs can be used to help rebuild the polar ice cap

dougw — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 00:13:10 GMT

It probably takes more than the back of an envelope to calculate the thermodynamics.

You need to consider a lot of factors like the sun is contributing somewhere close to a kilowatt per square meter and ice/snow will reflect much more than open water and the latent heat extracted from water as it evaporates is eliminated by ice cover.

Incidentally, the temperature of the arctic ocean is about -2C, so it isn't a big driver in melting fresh water ice.

Maybe if you could just condense evaporating seawater, it might be possible to freeze the resulting fresh water in the surrounding seawater.

Many of the thermodynamic processes tend to cancel out, but increasing the reflectance of the surface can help reduce thermal loading from the sun.

RE: Submarine that creates icebergs can be used to help rebuild the polar ice cap

DAB — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 20:51:22 GMT

You have to be kidding me.

There is no way to "make" ice without generating even more heat.

Does nobody understand the basics of thermodynamics?

What a boondoggle!

DAB