If you add ice cubes to a half filled glass of water.?

Question

If you add ice cubes to a half filled glass of water the level rises, but once the ice cubes melt the water level actually drops, so if global warming is causing all the ice bergs to melt, surely the sea level would drop before it began to rise?

Answer 1

yeah i guess.. :)

Answer 2

Hi,

You have things a little mixed up in your mind, I fear. In the confines of the glass (and in actuality) the level of the water will rise.

When the ice cubes melt, though, the water level does not drop. It may appear to drop, as the level will be further up the side of the glass before the ice starts to melt, but the actual level of water will rise. (though it will appear to have less volume than when the ice was whole.

The density of the ice is approximately 90% of the water itself (which is why 90% of an icebereg is below the surface) so, when the ice melts the added level will be 90% of the volume of the ice cubes plus the original water volume.

Sounds a bit complicated, I know, but it's all quite straightforward.

What IS true is that if you add gin and tonic water to the ice (with a slice of lemon) the level in the glass DEFINITELY drops!

Cheers,

BobSpain

Answer 3

Adding ice to water raises the water level as you point out. However, when the ice melts the water level does not change in any significant way (ignoring friction with the side of the container). Floating ice bergs do not raise or lower sea levels when they melt. Sea levels rise only if ice supported by land mass melts.

Answer 4

Watching "An Inconvenient Truth" will certainly not be useful to you since you already obviously know more than does Al Gore. Those people that are so worried about Greenland and Antartica melting should visit there. Do they realize that it is so far below zero that the idea of the ice melting even if the temperature rose 20 degrees (which not even the nutties of the alarmist suggest), it would still freeze or certainly most of it would stay frozen. How do they know that warming might not result in increased precipitation and more not less ice anyway. They don't know. They simply invent the worst possible scenario and try to sell it as a fact.

Answer 5

Ice expands (try freezing something in a closed container that's not glass) So it's possible for the level to drop, but on earth, much of the worlds ice is above sea level, even if there is a SMALL reduction of volume in the water, it will all definately be in the sea, making water level rise, not on continental ice sheets in the arctic.or glaciers on the mountains. Sea level will still rise.

Answer 6

Good question!

It might seem like that, but a great deal of the ice is actually resting on land (there is land under the Polar ice caps). So when that ice melts, it is adding to the oceans.

You are right though, had the Polar ice caps actually been sort of giant ice bergs, Global warming would actually cause the sea levels to decrease! I had never thought of it like that before. Thank you!

Answer 7

Are you sure about the ice in the glass of water? I would think the water level stays the same, melted or not melted.

Answer 8

nicely it relatively is actual that maximum scientists have self assurance international Warming is led to via guy, and it is likewise actual that there is marvelous tension on scientists to bypass alongside with that opinion. undergo in strategies "the time for debate is over" which scientifically talking is very nearly anti-technological awareness itself. yet from what I even have seen so some distance (that's alot) it feels like this present day warming is a mix of a organic cycle AND a tiny little develop via guy - which via the way is possibly the staw that broke the camel's lower back. Now that we've began this warming vogue, it feels like it is going to develop EXPONENTIALLY through fact the ice that's melting is definitely reducing the reflexion of rays lower back into area and increasing the outdoors component of the oceans which soak up the warmth. no longer in basic terms that, however the greater warmth will certainly set off an develop interior the quantity of CO2 which would be emitted via the sea which will upload to the greenhouse result. even though!!!!!!!!!!! - do no longer fall for each thing that the G.W Alarmists are saying. even though they overly exaggerate the wear and tear that this warming will reason, in addition they by no ability point out the reality that there are a number of stuff that would substitute which will opposite this technique. As for the wear and tear, the international's oeans will possibly by no ability upward thrust better than 24", era. that would declare purely somewhat land, say in Florida through fact the altitude is so low there, and we would have somewhat greater severe storms on occation. yet they're purely mendacity while they are saying that each and all and sundry of manhattan would be decrease than water, and that one million/4 of all species in the international will bypass extinct. that's loopy communicate. extremely some the flaws I see changing interior the distant destiny which will remedy this difficulty is image voltaic means. All this heating of the globe finally comes from the solar's means, so if sufficient human beings around the globe are changing that means to electrical energy, that's going to shrink the warming led to via direct image voltaic, besides as shrink the will for burning coal and oil. additionally, we surely will decide the thank you to shrink the end results of the greenhouse result using scientific breakthroughs. look how primitive we've been a hundred years in the past. Now think of how plenty greater stepped forward we are able to be in a hundred years. we are able to determine it out. have faith in humanity.

Answer 9

the concern is over greenland and antarctica -- where the ice is over land and will add water to the ocean

you should watch an inconvenient truth: it was very interesting, not boring, very educational. please do...make up your mind from there