Glaciers and Reefer Services

A Word on Glaciers A tenth of the globe is said to be covered with glaciers, while it is also estimated that glaciers contain roughly 75% of the world’s fresh water supply. Keeping things fresh is all part of the game. A glacier is formed when enough snow falls and stagnates over a period of time - as the snow melts and refreezes it forms thick sheets of ice. Even though this heavy body of frozen water may seem immobile, it does in fact move across a thin sheet of water which lines its path underneath the mammoth ice block. Similar to wax on a bowling alley lane, but simply much, much slower, this water allows the glacier to move and shift as it tears up the rocks below, while the layers within the ice itself shift around due to the slight temperature differences. Like icebergs, glaciers move and flow in natural paths which use the natural terrain for navigation, while also creating their own roads as they move through valleys and across open plains - much like the navigational resources of reefer transportation specialists. More About Reefer Shipping Like glaciers, reefer transportation units also create their own navigational paths. Intermodal freighting means shipping goods through various methods of transportation. If the distance cannot be completely covered by road, an alternative method, such as rail or air freight, may also be used. Reefer containers can be used in any part of the intermodal chain – some are built in, such as reefer transportation trucks which have dedicated refrigerators, and some are stand alone reefer containers which can be loaded as cargo onto a ship, on the back of a truck or train or even transported by air. Unlike the natural movement of glaciers over a sheet of water, reefer systems often use water cooling systems and an external power source to maintain the correct temperature for travel. Larger refrigerated containers make use of CO2 to keep the contents on ice.