The bizarre 1977 experiment that transported a one-tonne block of ice from Alaska to Iowa

The lack of water led Saudi Arabia in the 1970s to explore an idea that was as simple to propose as it was difficult to put into practice: transporting icebergs from the polar regions to arid territories. The proposal was based on a gigantic reserve of fresh water stored as ice, with the aim of turning it into a water source for areas with limited supplies.

Interest in the idea eventually brought around 200 specialists from 18 countries to Iowa in October 1977. Engineers, marine biologists, officials and businesspeople took part in the First International Conference on Iceberg Utilisation, where they studied how large blocks of ice could be transported from the polar regions and, above all, whether the proposal could have any practical application.

The block of ice from Alaska that reached Iowa

The conference did not limit itself to discussing the potential role of icebergs. There was also a practical test. The organisers decided to transport a block of ice weighing approximately one tonne from Alaska to Iowa to see how it would behave during the journey.

The journey involved three different forms of transport. The ice left Alaska by helicopter and was kept protected using insulating materials and dry ice. It was then loaded onto an aeroplane and, once it arrived in the United States, continued its journey in a refrigerated lorry to Ames, Iowa. The operation cost around $8,500, a considerable sum to transport just one tonne of ice. The cost earned the block a nickname that summed up the uniqueness of the experiment: the “world’s most expensive ice cube”.

Once in Ames, specialists were able to examine the ice after the entire journey. That small-scale test made it possible to study a much bigger problem: if a one-tonne block could be preserved during transport, what difficulties would arise when attempting to do the same with an enormous iceberg?

Fresh water for the world’s driest regions

Saudi Arabia’s interest in this possibility was linked to the need for greater water resources. The country already relied on systems such as desalination, which requires specialised facilities, significant energy consumption and substantial financial investment.

Compared with that alternative, icebergs offered a reserve of fresh water that was already formed in polar regions. The problem was not the existence of the resource, but rather finding a way to transport it from remote locations to places where water was scarce.

The conference brought together very different profiles to examine the issue: engineers, marine biologists, officials and businesspeople. Around 200 people from 18 countries took part. The aim was to determine whether transporting ice could have any practical application and what problems would need to be overcome to make it possible.

Why transporting icebergs was not successful

The 1977 experiment made it possible to study the transport of a small quantity of ice, but the large-scale proposal presented very different challenges. Moving an iceberg meant facing high costs and numerous technical problems associated with transporting an enormous frozen mass. For this reason, the project never developed into a water supply system.

The idea of towing icebergs, however, has resurfaced at various times in discussions about the availability of fresh water. Desertification and problems related to water resources have kept the debate over possible alternative sources alive.

Almost five decades later, the experiment serves as a reminder of just how far the Saudi project went. An entire iceberg was not transported to a desert country, but one tonne of ice was successfully taken from Alaska to Iowa using a helicopter, an aeroplane and a refrigerated lorry. And the whole operation cost $8,500, a significant amount of money in 1977.