NEW ZEALAND DESTRUCTION!!! Global warming, Volcanoes.?

Question

Quick question for all you Kiwi's out there. My fiancee' and I are planning on moving out there in 4 years and something came to my attention. With all this talk on global warming, scientists have shown that if half of antartica and half of greenland melt, the sea level will rise 20ft. I'm curious to know what the sea level of new Zealand is and where I could find a map of it. I want to know how that will effect your beautiful country. Next question..
I'm from the U.S. and I'm well aware of Super Volcanoes. I passively watched a documentary on one such volcano in New Zealand a while back and was curious to know its validity as well. Which valcano is it? When is it due to erupt? Thank you.

Answer 1

We cannot predict when a volcano will erupt. however Volcanoes are easier to monitor than earthquakes. There are several different methods, but all of them are based on some geological reality. We think we understand some of the processes that go on before a volcano erupts. The problem is that eruptions begin from below, in regions within the crust, often far from the surface. The trick is to find out what those processes do at the surface before the eruption actually begins, and then to look for those surface effects.
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Vhp/C1073/scientists.html this site will show you how volcanoes are monitored. Unfortunately we are unable to really tell when or how the volcano will erupt and the severity of the eruption. It is almost like saying you will have a baby boy in three years.

Also there are a few super volcanoes in the world and there is almost no telling when they may erupt, all we can really do is respect them, keep a safe distance and hope for the best. I hope I helped you.

Answer 2

Probably talking about the Taupo caldera system in New Zealand. Still an active system...as is Toba in Sumatra...as is Long Valley in California...etc. Not sure what this has to do with global warming

The 20ft rise sounds like something out of an Al Gore production. Reality: 1 degree F in the last century...Very difficult to assert there has been any measurable sea level change.

Areas such as Greenland and Antarctica run such huge energy deficits that they have exactly no chance of experiencing significant melting (from a volume perspective) in the foreseable future...