how long will it be till the polar ice caps have melted? What will happen after that?

Question

but what about what the scientists say? I don't know a great deal about Al Gore, other than I think he was an American presidential contender at one time. :)

Answer 1

Very difficult to estimate because the way in which large ice sheets melt is not fully understood. It's becoming easier with better satellites and data processing to understand how, for example, meltwater penetrates to the bottom and lubricates the base of the glaciers making them flow faster towards the sea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4720536.stm

Taking account of these newly understood mechanisms when estimating time for total ice loss has not yet been done. Some (notably oil prospectors) think the Arctic will be ice free by 2040. Antarctica is uncertain at present.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/2004-11-21-melting-polar-ice_x.htm

The melting of Greenland will contribute about 6-7m; Antarctica ~60m, north pole not very much (as it's in the water already).
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/2004-11-21-melting-polar-ice_x.htm

In the geological record there is evidence for 20m change in sea level in about a 500 year timescale (4cm per year), so we know 'rapid' changes are possible naturally and, with our increased warming on the world, only like to speed things up. Currently most sea level rise is due to water expansion as it heats up.

Afterwards I guess those sea-view properties won't be much use and many cites will be underwater.

Answer 2

The scientists who met in Paris recently published a report saying that the polar ice will melt only partially in the next 100 years, resulting in a sea level rise of a foot or two. They do not say how long it would take for all the polar ice to melt, but at the rate they are predicting for the next 100 years, it will be at least 1,000 years before it all melts. If it did all melt, sea level would go up a few hundred feet. Many coastal areas would be flooded, but much of the land would still be high and dry.

Answer 3

Clearly, you are presuming that global warming is a fact, and not something that has been made up by western governments to protect their economies by suppressing the industrialisation of the Third World.

Some facts that western governments do not make a song and dance about, for obvious reasons:

1. The recent UN report confirming the existence of global warming was signed by less than 25% of the scientists employed to look into the subject (Over 200). The rest did nit sign it because they believed it to be incorrect

2. There is less CO2 in the atmosphere now than at any time in the Earth's atmosphere. It is the lack of CO2 that is likely to increase temperatures, because CO2 reflects the Sun's heat from the Earth.

3. The Earth's weather patters are in a constant state of flux. We went through a similar period of warmth as little as 90 years ago. When the Earth shifts on its axis, weather patterns change around the globe.

4. There is no doubt that the Earth will suffer another ice age in the next 10,000 years.

Answer 4

Get yourself a glass of water. Freeze the water in the freezer. Next take the glass out of the freezer and draw a line at the level of the ice in the glass. Next defrost the water....thaw it out room temperature. Now draw a line at the new level of the water. It has been shown that 90% of an iceberg is under water. Now you do the math. I think we would have more rainy weather, tropical weather. But in my scientific mind, I do not see the massive flooding from it. Some areas that have muddy terrain under them in the world will get a little soggier because the water will be less salty. Salt makes the water thicker. That's my take. I tend to distrust people with degrees unless I can see the proof. I don't like sensationalism. These people were raised to confuse you so that they can maintain their status in society. If you are scared enough, you become like a deer in their headlights while they can decide if they need to run you over or not, whether you are a threat to their position in society. Al Gore has a very large house. Is this not hypocritical? I am sure he comes from a very traditionalist fundamental religious background that helped him get where he is from his memorization of their principles and saying that he agreed. That's how this all works. We need to make our society ready for the coming real democracy, when we are all on mind reading levels with each other and we are here to monitor and report statistically instantaneously to each other. We are not there yet. Al was created by you and me and the rest of Creation. He just doesn't realize that yet. We are all doing our best, so is he. Peace

Answer 5

It would take centuries for the ice caps to melt completely. Assuming that did happen, the the sea level would rise several hundred feet, drowing everything many miles inland, submerging some areas entirely (all of Florida, for instance) and drastically altering climate and ecology everywher.

That's almost certain NOT to happen. Based on the current rate of melting, we'll see sea level rises of perhaps 8 feet by the latter part of the century. That will be bad enough though. Some low lying areas will still be flooded--and protecting seacoast cities will cost hundreds of billions worldwide. And we will still have massive climate and ecological shiffts.

Unless we move quickly to start reducing CO2 emmissions, of course. In that case the damage will be less--much lesss--and by century's end the environment could be on the way to recovery.

Answer 6

Nobody really knows. The ice caps advance and retreat on a cyclical basis. Sea level rises are caused by thermal expansion, not melting ice. The same quantity of ice has a larger volume than the equivalent amount of water.

When you strip away the politicking and propaganda, the issue of global warming is quite straightforward.

There are two competing hypotheses.

1. Changes in solar activity drive changes in climate
2. Changes in CO2 levels drive changes in climate.

While the data is a close fit for the first hypothesis, the fit to the second hypothesis is weak and uncertain and can even be seen as temperature driving CO2 levels.

The only rational approach is to go with the first hypothesis.
The lesson of the history of our planet is that environments change, species adapt or die out

Answer 7

where ar epeople getting this several hundred feet of water from?
LOW lying areas will be under water, if and when the ice caps completely melt.
nobody is even sure what is going on, science is a load of guess work that sometimes comes close to being correct.
warm ups and cool downs are a regular occurence on this planet.....in the 70's we were all pretty sure the world was about to end with nuclear weapons going off all over, there is always something.
the panic has been set in motion to try to get everyone worried.
keep this to yourself....but the sun is actually burning itself out...we are doomed i tell ye!!

Answer 8

30-100 years for the Arctic. Longer for Antarctica. Depends on feedback mechanisms which are uncertain, like how much CO2 will the oceans release as they warm. First thing to happen will be no arctic ice in the summer. That will cause a lot of ecological damage.

http://www.physorg.com/news85069865.html

Coastal flooding. Major disruptions to agriculture. Rich countries spending hundreds of billions of dollars to cope. Poor countries having a lot of people die of starvation.

The problem is that it will take even longer to address global warming. It's hard to stop. So we need to start now. We can still slow it down/decrease it enough to avoid the very worst effects.

Answer 9

I think it will be quite a long time, but when that has happened there won't be much land. The sea level rises as the ice melts so islands will start disappearing and continents will grow smaller.

Answer 10

The answer is, they won't, Global warming has been going on and off as long as the world has been inhabited! It ain't new, it's just a ploy to get the governments of the west out of trouble! Don't believe what you read Jack! Do you really believe Al Grore?