Huge volumes of gas and oil have been extracted from the earth and i assume replaced with water from the sea. Therefore in the knowledge that we have global warming which is melting the ice caps . should this not compensate for the excess water due to global warming?
2006-08-07 09:47:13 · 5 answers · asked by dwn 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Geography
Neither gas nor oil is in caverns underground.
They both are in small cracks in rocks ... buried underground ... under great pressure from the rocks over them.
It normally takes much time and effort to extract them from these rocks. when the oil/gas is removed the cracks simple close. Sometimes there is salt water or gas that is injected into the source rocks to move the oil/gas toward a producing well but that is not even close to being enough to effect the glaciers or ice caps at the poles.
2006-08-07 11:18:43 · answer #1 · answered by Papucho 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The earth's surface is not like a balloon that collapses are we draw stuff from it. Even for undersea oil wells, the oil isn't in a nice cave which could be filled up; furthermore, the amount of water likely to be released from the icebergs is much more than the oil extracted; just imagine the amount of water needed to make the sea levels rise by a metre...
One more thing, global warming is not about excess water only. Global warming is causing climatic changes such that, given the patterns of rain that we humans have been used to over the centuries and which have to a large extent determined where we live (not in the middle of the Sahara but closer to rivers for example), will cause water shortages in some parts of the world and surpluses in others. The distribution of water is changing.
And before you think that we could simply reallocate the excesses, isn't that how we could solve the food shortage in some areas of the world too?
2006-08-07 14:57:55 · answer #2 · answered by ekonomix 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately not as mines that extract these are usually sealed, unless its a underwater facility. So water won't flood them and compensate, besides the space generated by extracting oil/gas is much smaller than the frozen ice.
2006-08-07 09:52:49 · answer #3 · answered by neorapsta 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Compensate?
I worry !!!
All the oil and what all that is removed is also leaving cavities and that one earthquake in the right area would really mess things up now wouldn't it?
2006-08-07 09:52:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think not!
2006-08-07 09:54:41 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋