By: Cathy Tugmon, Ph.D.
Taken in: Antarctica
Icebergs are formed on land and when they calve or breakoff from glacier or ice shelf they then float on water. The white color is the result of light interacting with lots of bubbles and snow particles causing all the wavelengths of light to be scattered before being absorbed. If there is glacier ice there are less bubbles and less scattering the red wavelengths are absorbed and on the blue light scatters and escapes.