Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Evening Light in Greenland
Icebergs off the coast of Greenland...
Greenland's ice layer alone would raise sea levels by 7 meters if it melts. Antarctica's ice layer is an even bigger risk.
The Arctic ice pack is less of an issue since it doesn't sit on land, and ice takes up more space than water. So sea levels would actually drop if the northern cap alone melted.
But unfortunately, if the Arctic melts, they all melt.
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A technical point -- if all the sea ice in the arctic melts, the sea level will not drop at all. Ice does take up more space than water, but the extra is the part rising up above sea level. When it melts, the water level stays the same. This only refers, of course, to the ice floating in the sea, not to the ice on land.
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