Are we going to sink ?

The ice is melting..... The sea levels are rising..... True or fabricated ?

I read an article the other day that suggested the water table MAY actually decline if the polar caps melt since a large portion of the ice is actually floating in the water.

We all learnt at school that Water expands when it freezes and goes back to its original

level when it melts. We also learned that a heavy object in water will displace water (just like when you get into the bath tub, the water level rises). The theory of this article was that if the ice melts, it stops displacing water, and also reduces its size since it has gone from a solid to a liquid.

The article didn't take into account that a large portion of the ice was actually "on land" and not floating in the water.

What are your theories ?

Is it possible the sea levels could remain neutral, if the ice melts ?

Comments: 14

*LORA* M. Jul 31, 2007, 2:45pm EDT

interesting article

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Eric Smith Jul 31, 2007, 2:58pm EDT

I'm more inclined to think along hose lines too Evie, the article did tickle a never in the back of my head though for some reason...

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Steve B. Jul 31, 2007, 3:05pm EDT

Eric. You should post a link to your article so the source can be checked. The facts you present are nearly all wrong. Here is a link that can explain it for you. It is a bit tedious, written by a group of climate scientists, but well worth the trouble.

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/
archives/2007/03/the-ipcc-sea-level-numbers/

reply to this comment

Eric Smith Jul 31, 2007, 3:10pm EDT

I read the article in a local newsletter, i don't think they have an online presence... i'll do a search and see what i find.

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Eric Smith Jul 31, 2007, 3:14pm EDT

This link discusses a similar theory - even that has no credibility !!

http://uplink.space.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=forces_nature&Number=443337&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=2

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Jay M. Jul 31, 2007, 4:16pm EDT

My bet is that the water level will decrease, but very little...
I also expect the ice to melt some, but then vegetation will start to grow, Polar bears will have berries to eat instead of seals, oxygen levels will increase, the ozone problem will go away, and Al Gore will be left scratching his head...
GOD RULES...

reply to this comment

Eric Smith Jul 31, 2007, 4:30pm EDT

Yes Jay I agree, God is good.

But he made the Planet and left us to look after it... We aren't doing him justice are we...

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Steve B. Jul 31, 2007, 6:41pm EDT

Eric. I looked at your link. Someone's just guessing. Here's the EPAs take on this process. Don't ask me why, but ocean water expands as it warms. That accounts for some of the rise in sea levels.

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/futureslc.html

Evie's comment above about much of the ice not floating is exactly right. The Greenland ice sheet is on land. That's why there's so much attention to the accelerating rate at which it is melting. Much of the ice is floating, e.g., the North Sea. Even so, you will remember a couple of years back when the Larson-B ice shelf broke away from Antarctica. Scientists were alarmed, even though this ice is floating.

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Eric Smith Jul 31, 2007, 7:38pm EDT

Hey Steve,

Yeah, i couldn't find a link to the newsletter i got... Will try to scan it if i can get my scanner working and post a link in the original article.

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