The analogy that I can give is that of a boat in water. A 6,000 pound boat in the lake displaces the water around it, but just minimally. If I were to replace that 6,000 pound boat and pour 6,000 pounds of water into the lake, the water level would rise higher than the boat previously displaced. Therefore, I believe that the melting ice caps would raise the sea level, and cause much of our land to be placed underwater.
The melting ice caps would destroy the artic habitat and its occupants. The rising sea levels would flood areas located near the ocean destroying many other plants and animals as well.
Questions that I have:
- How long will it take the ice to melt?
- How much water does the ice displace?
- How much of a difference will the melted ice raise the water, over the displaced water level of the ice?
- How much water will evaporate over the melting process?
- What changes in the water temperature will occur as the ice melts?
I like your analogy. It gives a clear picture of what is happening.
ReplyDeleteI liked your analogy as well. It paints a clear picture of what you are describing. I also have the same question about just how much will the water level rise if all the ice caps melted. There has to be some data on this. I am going to look into this over the next week.
ReplyDeleteI can not take full credit for the analogy(although I did come up with most if it on my own). I was arguing with my husband who is a very analytical and thought provoking person. I thought that it may not significantly change the water level. However, once he made me stop and think about what was happening it made me rethink my initial idea. Because I am an elementary school teacher I try to simplify my thoughts as much as I can to help my students understand. This analogy really helped me to visualize the problem in my mind.
ReplyDeleteI should have read your post before I did my hypothesis! What you said makes total sense.
ReplyDelete