What a mess! My only excuse is that cobwebs were growing as I waited for the “Review Reply” to activate and I got impatient and hit “Submit Reply.” Here is the correction: the Antarctic ice cap
More of the same. Should be: At 4[sup]o[/sup]
When it comes to floating ice, isn’t it freshwater ice floating in saltwater? A freshwater iceberg floating in seawater is displacing its own weight – but that’s its weight in saltwater. If the iceberg melts, it will create a volume of freshwater greater than the volume of saltwater that had been previously displaced (since saltwater is denser than freshwater). The water mixes into the general ocean, and I guess slightly reduces the overall salinity; in any case, the net result should be a slight rise in the water level; not as much, of course, as would be caused by the same amount of ice on land melting and pouring into the ocean. (If I’m wrong about this, please correct me.)
Now, if the scarier models for global warming pan out, I know the continents aren’t going to be covered, but will we lose cities like Miami? And what exactly would it take for our current government to be willing to make a change in energy policy? (As a kid, I never thought that in the 21st century we’d still be running on oil, and still ignoring the consequences.)
And losing Miami would be a problem why? It would probably lower the states average age by 20 years.
Right. Seawater is about 2.6% more dense than fresh water.