In 1977, scientists shipped a two-ton iceberg to landlocked Iowa by helicopter, aircraft and refrigerated truck to prove a wild Saudi plan

Imagine walking into a university building in the middle of Iowa and finding a giant iceberg sitting inside a refrigerator. That is exactly what happened in the autumn of 1977, when Iowa State University became the stage for one of the most unusual scientific experiments of the decade.

The massive chunk of glacier ice had travelled thousands of kilometres from Alaska by helicopter, aircraft and refrigerated truck. But it was not there as a frozen attraction. It was brought in to convince scientists, engineers and world leaders that gigantic Antarctic icebergs could one day be towed across oceans to provide fresh drinking water to some of the world's driest countries.

According to the Environment & Society Portal's Arcadia, the extraordinary display was part of the First International Conference on Iceberg Utilisation, held from October 2 to 6, 1977. Around 200 delegates from 18 countries gathered to debate whether floating mountains of ice could become a practical solution to the global water crisis.


Behind the ambitious idea was Prince Mohammed Al-Faisal, who oversaw Saudi Arabia's desalination programme. Although desalination was already supplying drinking water to the kingdom, it was costly and energy-intensive. The prince wanted experts to explore whether naturally formed Antarctic icebergs could offer a cheaper alternative.

Far from treating the concept as science fiction, the conference focused on the engineering challenges involved. Experts discussed everything from locating suitable icebergs and towing them across oceans to cutting, storing and melting them safely after arrival.

To make the discussions feel real, organisers wanted delegates to inspect actual glacier ice. Divers from the US Arctic Naval Research Laboratory selected a 2,500-pound (about 1,133 kg) iceberg from Alaska's Portage Lake. Measuring roughly six by five by four feet, the frozen block was wrapped in insulation and dry ice before being airlifted by helicopter, flown by aircraft and finally transported by refrigerated truck to Ames, Iowa.

The remarkable journey reportedly cost around $8,500, earning the iceberg the nickname "the world's most expensive ice cube" in newspaper reports at the time.

Once it reached Iowa State University, the iceberg was placed inside a walk-in refrigerator at the Memorial Union, where conference attendees could closely examine its structure while presentations explained how similar techniques might one day be used on Antarctic icebergs thousands of times larger.

The event even embraced the theme with dramatic ice sculptures of tugboats pulling giant icebergs, reinforcing the bold vision of turning polar ice into a global freshwater resource.

The conference was organised by Professor Abdo Husseiny, a nuclear engineering professor at Iowa State University, who worked closely with Prince Mohammed Al-Faisal. Their goal was not simply to spark discussion but to establish iceberg harvesting as a serious field of scientific and engineering research worthy of government and private investment.

Experts presented studies on iceberg tracking, weather conditions, towing techniques and other technical challenges, supported by photographs, films and mathematical models designed to prove the concept was worth exploring.

Although the dream of towing Antarctic icebergs to water-scarce nations never became reality, the idea refused to disappear. Similar proposals have resurfaced over the decades whenever concerns over freshwater shortages intensify.