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According to Burton, outlet glaciers have been retreating in Antarctica and Greenland, and this contributes to iceberg flipping. Justin Burton, an assistant professor at Emory University who has studied the physics of flipping icebergs, says that the phenomenon is occurring more frequently now due to climate change. Outlet glaciers are rivers of ice that flow outward from an ice cap or ice sheet and into the sea. 'When glacier ice becomes extremely dense, the ice absorbs a small amount of red light, leaving a bluish tint in the reflected light, which is what we see.” In addition, minerals and organic matter may have seeped into the underwater part of the iceberg over time, creating its vivid green-blue color. In glaciers, years of compression force out air pockets and gradually make the ice denser, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center. In the case of this jewel-like iceberg, the ice is probably very old. Melting can trigger calving, but it can also change the equilibrium of an iceberg, causing it to flip. Because of the varying densities of ice and saltwater, only about 10 percent of an iceberg will ever show at the surface, and that protruding tip will gather dirt and snow. Icebergs form when chunks of freshwater ice calve-or break off-from glaciers and ice shelves, as well as other icebergs.

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Whereas most iceberg tips are covered in snow or have been weathered by the elements, this one was free of debris, exposing glassy, aqua-green ice with water flowing through it-“almost like an ant colony,” he says.Ĭornell’s guide suggested that the iceberg had recently flipped. “This particular iceberg at the time kind of blended in with all the crazy stuff we were seeing.”īut as they approached the mass, which rose about 30 feet out the water, Cornell understood his guide’s excitement. “Everything I was seeing was pretty exciting,” Cornell admits. While exploring Cierva Cove, a glacial bay off the peninsula, a scientist aboard Cornell's boat became excited by one iceberg in particular. “Everything is reflective and everything’s white,” recalls filmmaker Alex Cornell, who vacationed there last month with his family. “People had said that the first time you go, you’re kind of so overwhelmed that you take a lot of pictures of your feet and you don’t really know what’s going on … I definitely felt that,” he says with a laugh. Between the sun, the water and icy peaks, the beauty can be quite literally blinding. Snow-covered icebergs dominate the scene near the shore of the Antarctic Peninsula, the northernmost part of the icy south polar region.

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