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stumcm OP t1_ism69gm wrote

Reply to comment by Dwarf-Lord_Pangolin in TIL that before the invention of regfrigeration in 1851, ice had to be imported to Australia from Boston, Massachusetts. The ice blocks travelled through the tropics inside ships insulated with timber, straw, peat, and sawdust by stumcm

Well, for a start, humans had only made fleeting visits to Antarctic waters by 1851. The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration was 1897–1922.

There were no structures, buildings, or any sort of a human settlement in Antarctica that they could use as the basis of an ice trade industry. And by the time of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, people were able to make their own ice in Australia (and elsewhere) using mechanical refrigeration.

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lsanborn t1_isme579 wrote

Also the Antarctic is considered a desert. You have to have fresh water for most uses of ice.

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thehazzanator t1_isojo8a wrote

It's only considered a desert as it gets so little rainfall per year. It's a permanent (not for long) ice sheet containing 90% of the earth's fresh water

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KypDurron t1_ispv9gl wrote

Are you under the impression that the literal mile of solid ice sitting on top of the Antarctic landmass is not freshwater?

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lsanborn t1_isqkk8y wrote

Guess I blew that one. The penguins are always shown on dry rocky land. So I guess that mile of ice doesn’t cover the whole continent. And salt water ice is a thing.

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KypDurron t1_isqu5v4 wrote

It covers 98% of the continent.

And ice formed from sea water has such a low salt content that it's potable - you can drink it (and not die of thirst).

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