For my Master's course at Walden University, we were asked to do an experiment in which we filled a bowl with ice sticking out the top and filled the bowl with water. When the ice melted, the bowl did not overflow. I thought the bowl would overflow, and maybe I will repeat the experiment to make sure my results are accurate.
I found an article in the Seattle Times that could explain why the bowl of water did not overflow. The melting of Arctic ice caps does not contribute to rising sea levels. Floating ice already displaces water. When the ice melts, the sea level remains the same. Sea level rise associated with global warming would occur from large chunks of ice breaking off the caps, causing the water to displace. (Doughton, 2007). This is intersting to me, because I always assumed that the melting itself would cause a rise in sea level.
Doughton, S. (2007, September 7). Arctic ice cap to melt faster than feared, scientists say. Seattle Times.
Retrieved from http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
When I did this experiment, I did get some overflow. It wasn't much, but it did overflow. I'll have to try it again in case I did something wrong. :)
ReplyDeleteOne thought I did have was that since there are islands/land masses under the ice sheets at the South Pole, not all the ice is displacing water, so if that ice melts, it should increase the amount of water in the oceans. I think it
all depends on the water displacement thoughts mentioned in the article from the Seattle Times. It sounds interesting and I want to read it.
Thanks for providing the link!
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI went ahead and created a new blog so I would be able to post to your blog. Here is the address. http://flyingfish74.blogspot.com
Thanks,
Sarah