Scientists may have solved the mystery surrounding green icebergs
Scientists from the United States and Australia may have finally solved the decades-long mystery surrounding green icebergs.
The American Geophysical Union reports that the researchers suspect that the emerald hues come from iron oxides found in rock dust from the Antarctic mainland. This discovery came after Australian researchers discovered large amounts of iron deposits in the Emery Ice Shelf.
Iron is a key nutrient for Fido plankton microscopic plants that form the base of the marine food chain, but sources of iron are scarce in many areas of the world's oceans.
This led researchers to a startling conclusion that the green icebergs are most likely ferrying precious iron from the Antarctic mainland to the open sea, where they break off providing this key nutrient to the key ocean organisms.
