Global Warming (Polar ice caps)

phantom_lord

A while ago i was reading an eng newspaper about how in a 100 years or britain would be turned into a number of islands (big loss) due to rising sea levels due to ice melting. The article said the certain sheets would release enogh water for sea levels to rise several metres. But if i remember correctly water expands when it freezes and about 90% of an ice berg is under water therefor when the ice melts its overall effect wouldn't raise levels that much as most of the water would be filling the space taken up by the ice. So is it just me that thinks they're scaremongering and exaggerating this threat (even though we'l be dead by then so so what...) ie sure if it happens it will release millions of gallons of water but you're forgetting about the millions of gallons of ice its replacing.

nesf

phantom_lord wrote:

A while ago i was reading an eng newspaper about how in a 100 years or britain would be turned into a number of islands (big loss) due to rising sea levels due to ice melting. The article said the certain sheets would release enogh water for sea levels to rise several metres. But if i remember correctly water expands when it freezes and about 90% of an ice berg is under water therefor when the ice melts its overall effect wouldn't raise levels that much as most of the water would be filling the space taken up by the ice. So is it just me that thinks they're scaremongering and exaggerating this threat (even though we'l be dead by then so so what...) ie sure if it happens it will release millions of gallons of water but you're forgetting about the millions of gallons of ice its replacing.

*nods*

Indeed. It's pure scaremongering.

Plus anyone who claims to know what the climate will be like in 100 years really doesn't understand how climate models work.


Then again tbh, I can barely read newspaper articles on science research and possible consequences.

If I see "A recent study has shown.." one more time I'll scream.

*finds a recent study that proves that studys are not able to prove anything*

dudara

There was a big thread on exactly this topic a few months ago. If you dig around you might be able to find it. I'm too tired right now

Capt'n Midnight

BTW 6,000 years ago Brittan wasn't an island.

The oceans have an average depth of 3Km.
The coefficient of thermal expansion for sea water is about 0.00021 (fractional volume change per degree C)

To get 30m rise in sea level would require the oceans expand by 0.01 of their current volume (actually more since the area will increase slightly because of flooding)

The biggest worry about warmer oceans all the way to the bottom would be a release of methane hydrates.