Explain then, why global warming and the feared melting of icebergs, is connected with rising sea level.?

Question

Water expands as its temperature drops below 4ºC, and so is less dense than water above this
temperature. This is why ice floats. Things that float displace the amount of liquid they float in
so that the mass of the volume of liquid displaced is equal to the mass of the floating object. This
means that when an ice cube melts while floating in a glass of water at constant temperature, the
depth of the water in the glass will not change. Explain then, why global warming and the feared melting of icebergs, is connected with rising sea level.

Answer 1

This is the first time I have ever discussed global warming as the environment is not one of those things that have ever piqued my interest. I am just answering this because it seems like an interesting question.

Your analogy about the glass of water and the ice cubes doesn't seem like you are comparing apples and apples. Most Icebergs have so much mass not submerged that if they did melt it would result in a higher volume of liquid. The glass on the other hand would have to be stacked with lots of ice balanced PAST the top of the glass in order for the comparison to be fair.

In your case if the ice begins to melt then you are correct that the glass would not overflow becausse it never exceeded the top of the glass to begin with.

Answer 2

Loss of the polar ice caps (that are not floating) will increase sea levels about 70 meters. Floating ice shelves will have no effect on sea level but loss of all the ice will change the amount of solar energy reflected back to space and could lead to more global warming. Cloud cover (from steamy seas?) also reflects solar energy back to space so that the net effects are difficult to model. One must look beyond the politics to the best independent research to reach even tentative conclusions before disrupting entire economies and millions of jobs. Whether natural or man made or a combination, global warming could be a huge problem.

Answer 3

Some good answers. But is it caused by gobal warming? Many scientists disagree and for this reason the term 'climate change' is being used more and more.

Some scientists point to the collapse of the Larsen B shelf, four and a half years ago as a major disaster caused by global warming. They link the collapse to the hole in the Earth's protective ozone layer over the Antarctic.

British Antarctic Survey's Dr David Vaughan has said "I can't, with my hand on my heart, link it to global warming."

Professor Philip Stott, emeritus professor of biogeography at the University of London, insisted that the collapse was "only to be expected", adding that "simplistic, apocalyptic statements about 'global warming' have more to do with myth than reality."

Many scientists point to the main cause as having been a strengthening in warm westerly winds blowing on to the peninsula.

'Climate Change' is evidenced by the fact that the same amount of rain is falling - it just falls in a different place. Some oceans are actually growing colder (remote from melting ice and not caused by melt water) and the rise in earth temperature is still within the range for normal climate fluctuation over time. 'Climate change' recognises greenhouse gas and some of the other causes espoused by Global warming enthusiasts but crucially looks for other causes with an open enquiring testing quest.

The jury is not even out yet but global warming is being touted as a truth and a law without proper scientific investigation and in a way that seeks to prove an idea is right rather than test it. This appears to be a singularly blinkered approach and totally unscientific or logical!

By refering to it as 'climate change' true objective scientists maintain an open miind with good and honest scientific objectivity.

Answer 4

In addition to non-floating ice melting, warmer water occupies more volume that the same amount of colder water. This expansion of the oceans due to warming is a significant contributer to sea-level rise

Answer 5

As I understand it, it's not so much the icebergs that people are worried about, it's the ice caps, especially the one in Antarctica. It isn't floating, it's land based, so if and when it melts all the water stored in the ice there will raise the sea level

Answer 6

Ice is frozen water. When ice melts it becomes water. Water collects in the ocean basins, hence they rise. Do not worry about this though, sea level has constantly been rising and falling throughout geologic time.

Answer 7

Thanks chalqua for an great answer to a silly question.