How do melting ice caps raise the level of the oceans? if melting ice in a glass of water doesn't overflow it?
Archimede’s principle dictates that the fluid volume replaced by the melted ice is actually less than the ice volume! So, similar to how the melting ice cubes in a glass of water doesn’t cause the water to overflow the glass, then picture the earth as a giant glass of water, and the polar ice caps as the ice cubes.
Sunburst
on February 8th, 2012
DOH!!! You are just too smart for Al Gore! Indeed, the melting of the Arctic ice cap would not change sea level at all. However, most of the Greenland and Antarctic ice caps are on land and would indeed raise sea level by a few hundred feet if they were to completely melt. Unfortunately for Al Gore, neither of those ice caps is expected to experience significant melting anytime soon…even in the wildest BS speculation of the global warming fearmongers.
Of course, 50 million years ago, there were no ice caps at all on this planet (and very few glaciers anywhere) and although sea level was higher, life thrived and biodiversity was high. This condition is, in fact, the way the Earth has been for the vast majority of time that there has been life. If anything is to be considered “normal” in regard to the Earth’s long-term climate, it certainly would not be permanent ice caps and recurring ice ages. The only species really facing a threat from rising sea levels is humans…but if people think we are too dumb too simply move as the seas rise…well, those people really are that dumb. Sounds like a wonderful way to evolve ignorance and gullibility out of the human genome.
Sarah
on February 8th, 2012
Think of your glass of water with ice cubes extending well over the top of the glass. This is similar to ice sitting on top of a Continental shelf. As the ice melts, the water level will go up and the glass will overflow.
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SecretCelebrity
on February 8th, 2012
that is a poin to be made. yes ice is less dense than water and so when melted takes up less space. an the majority of ice is under the water and displaces allot of water.
however the ice on our earth does not float in the sea. well the south pole doesnt. it sitson land. so when this melts it has no effect on the diplacement of water. and all melted ice is added to the earths water. therefor the waterlevel will rise.
it is the equivilent of melting the ice outside your glass, then adding it and watching it overflow.
mackey xx
RadioActive
on February 8th, 2012
You are correct. Melting ice bergs or ice floating on water will not raise the sea level significantly if at all since the mass of the water in ice displaces an equal mass of liquid water (pretty close anyway). It is only land locked glacial melting that might increase sea levels.
BlindPoet
on February 8th, 2012
First of all, the volume replaced by the melting of the ice is only that part that was already in the water. To a first approximation, melting shouldn’t change the sea level at all, IF THE ICE WAS FLOATING FREELY IN WATER.
For ice that’s on land, however, that doesn’t apply — when it melts and runs into the ocean, sea levels go up.
Cat
on February 8th, 2012
Good show
Then almost all of the north arctic ice would not affect any in fact it might drop slightly. Then Iceland and Greenland They have some pretty good mountains . Now if u take a map and cut out Iceland and Greenland on the same scale place them over the earth. Now take Antarctic and place them all over the world ,now count how many slices u have cut . With this u should able to come up with a good calculation of how much the water would increase.
Bryan
on July 3rd, 2011
Here’s another fact of fluid dynamic nobody wants to mention. What happens to a freighter when you load and unload its cargo? It drops deeper and rises farther out of the water (respectively). Ok you say, what does this have to do with melting land ice? All ice exerts downward force on the land below it. This pressure will push the solid crust on which it rests deeper into the fluid/semi fluid mantle. The displaced mantle combined with reduced water pressure on the ocean floor would result in the ocean floor rising. When the land ice melts it would then flow into the ocean thus reversing the cycle causing the ocean floor to subside under the increased pressure from water and land rising from reduced force on top and increased mantle force from below. This should either result in zero change in ocean level or a lowering due the melted water occupying less volume when melted and in the ocean. Maybe the continental shelf was actually exposed the last time all ice on earth was melted.