RSS FeedDo melting Ice Caps cause flooding???
Posted on Thursday, March 22, 2007 at 10:13 AM by Robby Roberts
OK, back to my ANTI-"it's the end of the world" ranting.....
In his FICTIONAL documentary, Al Gore claims that if the polar Ice caps melt, costal areas will flood. Even a school child learns the basic science behind why this is NOT TRUE.
Take this Glass of Ice Water. Lets say the water is our oceans, and the ice is the polar ice caps and icebergs. Now, what happens to Water when it freezes? It Expands. If we let this glass sit here for several hours and all of the ice melts, will the glass OVERFLOW? No.
Simply because the Ice takes up more room in the glass than the water. As it melts back into a liquid, the amount of space it occupies shrinks.
Many counter this with the argument of glaciers and ice caps that are above sea level. However, realize that the BULK (about 75%) of all the polar ice caps and icebergs are BELOW the surface of the water. Meaning, if all of that ice below the surface melts, the water levels will go DOWN. And, that will make more room for the ice that is above the surface to melt into the oceans.