Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Melting Sea Ice _______ The Sea Level

Fill in the blank. It's a one question quiz that the reporters at Yahoo failed totally to pass. Kick them back to middle school science class.

If you have an ice cube in a glass of water and let it sit and melt, does the water level in the glass rise, fall, or remain exactly the same? Those of you who paid attention in school (or at the bar) will know that the level of the water in your glass will stay the same.

If you have a sheet of ice that covers 1/30th of the earth's surface and it is floating on the Arctic ocean, and it melts, what happens to the sea levels around the world? Bubkis. The ANTARCTIC, if it melted, would be a problem - THAT ice is not floating, it is on land. The ARCTIC, if it melts (as it does every year) is NOT a harbinger of doom. It is weather.

Don't worry. Be happy. Yahoo! story not dignified with a link out of sheer disdain for the appalling lack of scientific editorial oversight.

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