2006-10-09 08:35:58 · 9 answers · asked by shoom 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
The ice caps are displacing their weight, but not their volume. In 150 years, Florida will be a 10 mile wide strip of land that ends at Orlando. No one has really measured the volume of the above sea level ice on the earth accurately enough to make this approximation.
2006-10-09 08:47:35 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The north polar ice cap would contribute nothing to a rise in sea level if it were to melt. There is no land mass under it so the sea is already displaced by the ice.
The south polar ice cap would be a different matter but I'm afraid I do not know what its measurable effect would be.
2006-10-09 09:49:48 · answer #2 · answered by Jellicoe 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some people above are right, about the difference between the north and south pole, one displacing it's own mass, and the other not, and there will be a slight change in sea level due to the melting of the southern continental ice sheet, however most change to sea level as a result of climate warming will be due to the density change of existing liquid water.
Water is an unusual substance in that it's solid state is actually slightly less dense than it's liquid phase, hence how ice floats in water. This means that as the ice melts, some of the extra water will be compensated for. What will also happen, however, is expansion of the already liquid water within the seas, which will become less dense, and occupy more space as heating occurs.
So in actual fact, density change of existing water will be as significant as melting ice.
2006-10-13 03:24:40 · answer #3 · answered by Steve A 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As the arctic ice cap is floating, when it melts it won't have an effect. However Greenland, Canada, Antartica etc have a lot of frozen water above sea level which will raise sea levels if melted. Warmer oceans mean expanded water which will contribute just as much to sea level rise as polar melting.
I think the figure is 10s of metres
2006-10-09 09:29:52 · answer #4 · answered by amania_r 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
to tell you the truth, it could be a dramatic rise. last year some scientists discovered something shocking in greenland. ice was melting very fast, faster than they had thought it would. If this keeps happening, soon, very soon, water level is going to rise up to about 60ft. That's enough to drown major cities like london and manhattan. Its also going to drown alot of mexico and almost all of louisiana and florida. Its going to cause a big population problem because of all the people going upward to escape the water. Its a really big problem which sooner or later can happen.
2006-10-09 12:53:55 · answer #5 · answered by Ana 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
30 to 60 feet im sure i read, its not just the melting of the caps it will also have cociquences of the amount of fresh water mixing with salt water
2006-10-09 23:16:33 · answer #6 · answered by Brad 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my theory is that the ice caps are floating in the sea so they are already displacing their weight in the ocean hence there will be no rise in level if they melt
2006-10-09 08:40:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
i know it would rise because some of them are higher then sea level but im not not sure how much it would rise..
2006-10-09 08:43:42 · answer #8 · answered by luiz 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not as much as in the intro' to "Waterworld" ...
2006-10-09 08:47:33 · answer #9 · answered by Stephen L 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋