What are the effects of polar ice caps, and glaciers melting?

Question

Please provide a source for your information.

Answer 1

- Sea levels will rise
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/qthinice.asp#4
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/alaska/shismaref.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/04/0420_040420_earthday.html
http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/rising-seas.html

- A reduction in white reflective ice results in more heat absorbed by the ocean or land that it once covered which is only fuel to the fire.
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/qthinice.asp#4
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/ArcticReflector/arctic_reflector2.html

-More powerful storms, relocation of families due to catastrophic weather events & thawing of permafrost, ground which was never expected to thaw.
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/alaska/shismaref.html
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/alaska/fairbanks.html
http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/rising-seas.html
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/issues/art19625.html

-Invasive species
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/alaska/shismaref.html
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/alaska/kenai.html

-Massive disruption to arctic species, most noticeably the polar bears
http://www.nrdc.org/globalWarming/alaska/barrow.html

I reused a few of my sources as many of them had information relevant to a number of the points I wanted to outline.

Enjoy and happy reading!

Answer 2

Not much. According to a peer-reviewed paper, the Arctic sea ice melting is the result of dynamic forcings (wind and ocean) related to regional climate and not to global warming. This is part of a natural cycle. The Northwest Passage has not opened up yet, but it may. The Northwest Passage opening would allow ships to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific north of Canada. The Northwest Passage was open twice before in 1905 and 1944. A total of about 60 ships took the passage during those years. See the sources below.

The positive feedbacks hypothesized by the global warming alarmists (such as in the links listed in the answer above) seem not to be too significant since the sea ice came back in 1906 and 1945.

Also, if the Arctic sea ice melt was related to global warming, you would expect Antarctic sea ice to be melting as well. It is not.

Answer 3

WORST CASE SCENARIO

Maybe with the North pole gone there may be changes in the gulf streams which could affect global climates

And the water from the melting ice of Greenland ,Ice land ,mountain Glaziers and Antarctica will raise sea levels ,resulting in billions of people on the coast being displaced ,resulting in Government instability and violence between residents of the high grounds and the escaping migrants from the coastal areas.

Also the enormous weight of the 2 kilometer high ice packs (Greenland)lifted,could result in the Earth expanding in those areas and may cause tsunamis and other earth movements.

Apart from that animals will have changed or no habitats, causing chain reactions in food chains of the fauna in many places and changes in the flora.

Humanity will be greatly affected along the line, with loss of low laying arable lands and necessary changes of location for crops because of changes of local conditions

Answer 4

They are saying the Northwest passage will now become a reality. More oil and gas exploration, release of large methane gas and ignition in the oceans. Slowing of ocean currents by the release of the fresh water vs the salt water. Global weather change. More dramatic weather, bigger storms (we are already seeing the increase in Hurricanes). They are predicting a wild winter.

Answer 5

Polar bears are not finding enough large pieces of ice to climb up on once they dive into the ocean to find food. So they keep swimming until they are so exhausted they drowned. This has already happened.

The water level on coastlines rises, destroying it and much of what has become associated with it.

Answer 6

The primary effect is of course and of certainty, world wide flood, reduction of land area that can still be utilized for agricultural pursuit. The premise is, less land, less agricultural produce, less food to our dining table and more chances of hunger.

Answer 7

Al Gore's movie-book 'an inconvenient truth'