[Ol' Sox]

...even tidal waves would have been weakened by the stabilising effect of icebergs on the ocean.

I had no idea that icebergs had a stabilizing effect on the ocean. I don't believe it.

[Gorjus]

I had no idea that icebergs had a stabilizing effect on the ocean. I don't believe it.

Remember, this is about damping out waves. When the wave hits the iceberg, part of it reflects directly, and part of the energy is consumed lifting the iceberg which - when it comes back down - creates more waves headed back in the reverse direction. Net effect: The original incident wave is diminished. Do it enough times (like, in an ice ace when there are lots of icebergs) and a single massive wave becomes a lesser wave and lots of return waves.

If there's enough ice to make a solid ice sheet on the water, then even more energy is consumed breaking that ice sheet to lift the ice as the wave passes.

How significant it would be overall is unclear, but the incremental effect is not hard to understand.

[SunkenCiv]

I had no idea that icebergs had a stabilizing effect on the ocean. I don't believe it.

Good, because they don't have any such effect. If I were to nitpick, I'd also heap abuse on the article's "tidal wave" -- tsunamis aren't "tidal waves". ;')