| Zodiac107 Sweden. August 02 2012 20:28. Posts 48 | Profile # |
So a thought struck me the other day, and i wonder if its logical... In any case, if someone knows the answer to this id be glad if they could clarify it for my.
Lets start with an assumption.
1. The structure of water changes when turned into ice. During the transformation process the ice expands. (this can be tested at home by freezing water in a filled bottle, the bottle will crack and/or explode)
As far as i know this expansion is about 9%. But im not sure of those numbers since i haven't found more then 1 source for that. so this is also just an assumption at the moment.
Now here comes the problem, I and most likely many of you have heard on the news
and on/in movies and other kinds of media, also hearing from friends and family and so on, that the world will basicly drown if the ice melts in the poles.
Is that true though? Since the water expands and take up more space when turning into ice, then it would logically decrease in mass and take up less space if it melts. No considering that an iceberg only shows around 10% of its total mass and thus hides 90% of its mass under water. Shouldnt the waterlevels of the world actually lowered when the ice melts? Technically by 9% of the total mass of ice if the number is verified.
This is no troll post, but i figured that it would be interesting just throwing it out there.
Short version. Should'nt the sealevels decrease if the ice melts?
*edit - spellingLast edit: 2012-08-02 20:30:31 |
| | Life is but a dream, sometimes we must all wake up. |
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| SolHeiM Sweden. August 02 2012 20:31. Posts 1260 | Profile Blog # |
| Ice floats on water, when the ice that floats melts and turns into water, the ocean levels will rise. Seems pretty simple to me. |
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| Zodiac107 Sweden. August 02 2012 20:34. Posts 48 | Profile # |
yes, well. Thats what most people belive anyway, but only 9% floats above water and 91% "floats" under water, so the ocean levels shouldnt rise at all if you factor in the decrease of mass when the ice melts.
*edit- spellingLast edit: 2012-08-02 20:35:28 |
| | Life is but a dream, sometimes we must all wake up. |
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| Kickboxer Slovenia. August 02 2012 20:36. Posts 1042 | Profile Blog # |
What kind of genius calculation is this? 
According to your own numbers 10% of the iceberg is above water (this is probably terribly wrong) and the volume contracts by 9% when the ice melts.
So the surface still rises by 1% even if everything you said is accurate (it's not). |
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| Mythra New Zealand. August 02 2012 20:37. Posts 170 | Profile # |
| The melting ice that increases the sea level is the ice that is on land and not the floating ice. That why one of the main factors we look into for rising sea levels is the amount of ice melting greenland. floating ice doesnt raise sea levels beacuse the volume of the ice that is under watering keeping it bouyant is the same volume of water that will be produced when the ice melts as ice is less dense than water. |
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 thrawn2112 United States. August 02 2012 20:38. Posts 3599 | Profile Blog # |
| there's a lot of ice on land |
| | "People think they know all these things about other people, and if you ask them why they think they know that, it'd be hard for them to be convincing." ES |
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| strongandbig United States. August 02 2012 20:38. Posts 3253 | Profile Blog # |
| antarctic and glacier ice aren't floating they are sitting on land, which they will run off of when they melt. |
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 miwi Sweden. August 02 2012 20:38. Posts 179 | Profile # |
You do know there's a lot of ice on land right?  |
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| ControlMonkey Australia. August 02 2012 20:38. Posts 1508 | Profile Blog # |
| Greenland and Antarctica are above sea level. |
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| b3n3tt3 August 02 2012 20:38. Posts 457 | Profile # |
| perform an experiment, put ice and water on your sink. measure the levels. measure it again after it melts |
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 Surth Germany. August 02 2012 20:38. Posts 119 | Profile Blog # | |
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| Meta United States. August 02 2012 20:39. Posts 5802 | Profile Blog # |
This theory seems easy enough to test in a cup of water, but as far as I know the density changes enough to counter the volume increase such that when it melts there will be 0 change to overall water level.
The problem is when ice that's not floating, but resting on continents (greenland and antarctia) melts and streams down into the sea. That's what will cause sea level rise in the event of the ice caps melting.Last edit: 2012-08-02 20:40:18 |
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| mardi United States. August 02 2012 20:39. Posts 1157 | Profile Blog # |
| I think we need to remember that scientists also factor in the melting of glaciers as well. |
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| Zodiac107 Sweden. August 02 2012 20:40. Posts 48 | Profile # |
| Well, math isnt my strong point... at all... but i agree the numbers looks a bit wrong. As i said earlier in my post, i havent been able to verify the numbers yet, i only found a single source of it, so please take the numbers with a grain of salt until they have been verified. |
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 DrCooper August 02 2012 20:40. Posts 115 | Profile # |
| Ice Sheets/Continental glaciers (like greenland) are the big issue. These glaciers will primarily lead to the rising sea level. |
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| Sinensis United States. August 02 2012 20:42. Posts 2503 | Profile Blog # |
| Water temperature effects ocean currents and climate. Ocean currents determine where water goes. Not to mention floating ice, glaciers, etc. |
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| Zodiac107 Sweden. August 02 2012 20:42. Posts 48 | Profile # |
| Hmm, yes it is the ice upon land that will be the problem then, thanks for pointing that out. Does anyone know how much water the land will absorb upon a gradual melting? |
| | Life is but a dream, sometimes we must all wake up. |
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| wunsun Canada. August 02 2012 20:42. Posts 587 | Profile # |
| The water level increasing is due to the ice that is on land; primarily on Antarctica and Greenland. |
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| Sandtrout August 02 2012 20:43. Posts 243 | Profile # |
| Apart from ice on land: Water has its highest density at 4°C, so as soon as water becomes warmer than that, it expands again. |
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| Zodiac107 Sweden. August 02 2012 20:44. Posts 48 | Profile # |
Thank you for those, i will look into them. |
| | Life is but a dream, sometimes we must all wake up. |
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