What Effects Do Icecaps Have on the Sea Level?
- According to 20-year NASA study released in 2011, ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are shrinking at a greater rate than expected and will have a noticeable effect on sea levels during this century. Melting icecaps and glaciers double the amount of water released into the oceans.
- The earth's surface ice has optical properties unlike the oceans and the land masses. Ice is white and highly reflective. Radiant thermal energy from the sun is reflected away from the surface of the earth by ice; when it melts, that heat is absorbed and redistributed around the globe. This heat contributes to higher average global temperatures and more melting ice.
- The total displaced water in 2010 was larger than the volume of Lake Erie.Media Bank/Photos.com/Getty Images
The melting of the icecaps alone would cause a slow rise in global water levels, but the speed at which they are melting is creating additional problems. The rapid rise in global temperatures is causing the destabilization of the structural integrity of the icecaps, causing them to fracture and fall apart. As these chunks of ice break apart and slide into the ocean, they displace large amounts of water. While each individual chunk may not displace much water, 100 cubic miles of water are cumulatively displaced in this manner each year. - Records indicate that global sea levels have risen 6 to 8 inches during the past 100 years. Scientists are predicting that this trend will continue at an increased rate. Estimates vary, but according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global sea levels will increase 3 to 32 inches by the end of the century. Although this may not seem like a significant amount, a rise of 3 feet would result in the loss of thousands of square miles of land in the United States, as well as the complete submergence of several island nations.
