Seattlest: Dept. of Scary News: No More Arctic

Tom

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:09:25 -0800

Ruffhauser, you are correct, melting of the north polar ice cap will do very little to directly contribute to sea level rise since it is already in water. It is the south polar ice cap that, if it melts appreciably, will cause sea level rise. Antarctica is a continent with over a mile of ice over land in many (most?) places. Once that ice melts and runs off land into the sea, levels will rise. Additionally, as the linked article stated, ice-free water absorbs more heat, whereas ice reflects it. This causes the planet to heat up further.

James Callan

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:13:55 -0800

So alarmist! I prefer to think of it as "finally, a chance to cruise the Northwest Passage."

Jeremy M. Barker

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:47:03 -0800

It's not exactly the same thing with a glass of water--the ice-cubes are mostly submerged in a glass of a water, so the space is already displaced. The polar ice cap, on the other hand, has quite a volume above sea level. Additionally, if the caps are melting, the glaciers are also melting, and all of that liquid makes its way back to the sea.

ruffhauser

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:41:34 -0800

I have never understood this idea that the sea levels will rise when the polar ice cap melts. It's like if you have icecubes in a glass of liquid. When the icecube melts, the liquid inside the glass doesn't come overflowing over the top. The weight of the ice has already been displaced.

Katelyn

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:31:30 -0800

Some friends and I were just talking about Waterworld -- maybe it's time for another viewing, what with gas prices rising and artic circles melting.

Seth

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:31:13 -0800

On the bright side, this could be a boon for the cruise ship industry.

jessejb

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:28:06 -0800

Oh man..its almost completely melted? Is this the part when the entire coastlines go under water? I kinda figured that was supposed to happen way before all the icecap melted...