Timeline for Does the sea level increase if an iceberg melts?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
5 events
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| Jul 13, 2017 at 0:26 | comment | added | user107153 | As stated in another comment, potential sea level rise from melting sea ice is very small (and, modulo the fresh water thing, is actually zero) compared to that from land ice (which really means Greenland and Antarctica). The naïve physicist (me) will then do sums to compute the time constants for such melting and will decide that it is not something to worry about just yet. The less naïve land-ice person will then point out that land ice can become sea ice and this might happen quite quickly but we just don't know. So the big risk is not melting, it's sliding off the land. | |
| Jul 12, 2017 at 22:40 | comment | added | Emilio Pisanty | The question as posed used deeply flawed assumptions which are important to set straight on a permanent record in this thread. If folks have better ideas for answers, they're welcome to add their own, and if they're happy to downvote correct and important content, that's their choice. | |
| Jul 12, 2017 at 22:16 | comment | added | Floris | Your last statement, while true, does not address the question as asked. I think it is generally accepted that an iceberg is floating ice ("a large floating mass of ice detached from a glacier or ice sheet and carried out to sea.") . And it is the melting of icebergs (not "Arctic Ice") that is the subject of the question. Which makes this more of a comment than an answer... | |
| Jul 12, 2017 at 21:11 | comment | added | JMac | I'm pretty sure this is by far the bigger reason. The density fluctuations of icebergs would be absolutely minuscule when you consider the amount of icebergs compared to the density difference between that and water, compared to the total amount of water (quite small). Glaciers and melting snows on the other hand come from the land; so their entire volume has an effect on the water level. | |
| Jul 12, 2017 at 21:08 | history | answered | Emilio Pisanty | CC BY-SA 3.0 |