If melting ice will flood the world, why doesn't it overflow a glass?

Question

Please be aware the north pole is not on land. Submarines go under it.

Answer 1

The funny thing is that even the famous IPCC does not

claim the world will be flooded from melting icebergs

or glaciers. Only the completely ignorant main stream

media puts out that misinformation. The IPCC claims

the flooding will occur because of the expansion of

the oceans due to warming. And even that is laughable.

Of course, I do not hear these AGW fanatics (IPCC

members) coming out and correcting this

misinformation. Could it be they like hearing the

stories of glaciers melting because it suits their

cause?

Here are some good stats for you. All these numbers

come directly from the IPCC 4th report, Chapter Five,

page 419 (graph at bottom of page).

NOTE: Before examining the data, please retrieve a

metric ruler for reference (if you have any). The

smallest increments are mm, and that is what all the

following measurements are in. If you do not have a

metric ruler, then note that 1 mm equals about 1/32 of

an inch, or about 25 mm equals 1 inch

Total sea level rise from 1961-2003 due to:

Thermal Expansion  .42 mm

Glaciers and Ice Caps .50 mm

Greenland Ice Sheets .05 mm

Antarctic Ice Sheet .14 mm

Sum 1.1 mm

Observed 1.8 mm

Total Sea level Rise from 1993 -2003

Thermal Expansion  1.6 mm

Glaciers and Ice Caps .77 mm

Greenland Ice Sheets .21 mm

Antarctic Ice Sheet .21 mm

Sum 2.8 mm

Observed 3.1 mm

For this discussion, all glaciers, Ice Caps, Greenland

Ice Sheets, and Antarctic Ice Sheets have a combined

contribution to sea level rise of:

From 1961 to 2003    .69 mm sea level rise. Yes, that

is .69 mm rise, or less than 1/32nd of an inch. This

is roughly the THICKNESS of 6 thin sheets of paper, 3

regular sized staples, > 1 corrugated cardboard, 2

envelopes, and 1 DVD +R disks (all items found on my

rather messy desk).

During this same time period, 1961 to 2003, the total

of all sea level rise is about 1.8mm. For examples,

take the above listed items and double them.

From 1993 to 2003, the data gets more sinister. The

levels have been rising even more out of control than

during the 1963 to 2003 time period (the sea must have

retreated from shore during 1960 to 1980's).

For 1993 to 2003, the rate of increase of sea levels

due to all glaciers, Ice Caps, Greenland Ice Sheets,

and Antarctic Ice Sheets in millimeters (a really very

small increment for us Americans) is 1.19 mm. WE ARE

ALL GOING TO DIE!

Does everyone realize that in 10 years of the worst

global warming ever, the melting glaciers, etc have

contributed 1.19 mm to sea levels. My God! People that

built roads and houses right on the waters edge ten

years ago will be swept out to sea by this massive

1.19 mm rise in sea levels.

Just for fun, lets take the 1.19 mm and see what

happens in:

100 years: 119 mm or just over 4.5 inches. Oh the

inhumanity of it all. All that expensive

infrastructure washed away over night.

200 years: 9 inches. Human life will cease to exist.

500 year: 22 inches. How will my Great, great, great,

great, great, great grandchild ever evolve to have

gills and fins within this short period of time? My

family name will cease to exist. Of course, I forgot

the 9 inches increase within 200 years would have

killed everything off already. My bad.

Remember, THESE NUMBERS ARE TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE

IPCC 4TH REPORT, Chapter 5, page 419.

Answer 2

Right - the ice formed on oceans comes from the oceans in storms. Ergo: there is no change in ocean levels from melting sea ice.

However melting Glaciers have been adding about 5+ INCHES to the oceans every CENTURY for over 8000 years - (end of last major ice age)

This is where the Alarmists freak out - the ocean levels have not been increasing as fast as 'their predictions' want you to believe.  

We 'might' get an 8 inch rise over the next century - but then again, we might go into another ice age.

Read the whole story here with real stats. - not alarmist phony research.:

Lowering Sea Level Rise:  Jan. 4, 2008

http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index....

Shocking Facts about Sea Level Rise:  Feb. 9, 2007

http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index....

Answer 3

It will overflow your glass if it has the ice a mile thick on top of it, above water level, like Greenland does.

"Instead of sea levels rising by about 40 centimetres, as the IPCC predicts in one of its computer forecasts, the true rise might be as great as several metres by 2100. That is why, they say, planet Earth today is in 'imminent peril.'"

http://www.heatisonline.org/contentserve...

If we look past 2100,

- Global and regional warming could more than quadruple after 2100

- Sea level will still be rising at the end of the millennium (3000)

- Ocean pH will fall dramatically for all but the minimum emission scenario

- Business-as-usual could lead to abrupt climate changes

- Abrupt climate changes could occur long after emissions cease

- The ocean carbon sink becomes less effective the more CO2 is emitted

- The land could be a net carbon source on the millennial timescale

"Potential sea level rise on the millennial timescale (excluding the contribution of Antarctica), is 0.5-11.4m in GENIE-1 and 1.0-8.5m in MoBidiC.  Collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, if it occurs, could add up to 4-6m on the millennial timescale [Oppenheimer and Alley, 2004]"

“…our relatively conservative assumptions, for example regarding climate sensitivity or the exclusion of the Antarctic ice sheets, still produce the result that only by starting to reduce CO2 emissions in the very near future, and continuing to reduce them such that they are zero by year 2200, can we avoid dangerous climate change on the millennial timescale.”

http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/research/theme1...

Answer 4

the ice of concern is located on greenland and western antartica - due to extreme cold eastern antartica does not appear to be threatened by global warming.

there is a very small volume increase if freshwater ice melts in salt water:

http://www.physorg.com/news5619.html

Answer 5

Ice in a glass displaces an equal amount of water.  ice on land (Glacier, snowpack, etc does not displace water & when melted will add to the existing level of water.

Answer 6

yes

Answer 7

the water molecules configuration/alignment causes expansion as they freeze (slow down)....that is why milk bottles would pop their tops(in the old days of doorstep . delivery).  Conversely, the volume of the water frozen in the cubes/pieces of ice will decrease with melting and, the glass will not overflow.  Evaporation on earth is another factor that all the global warming alarmists would love to tell you about...(ref: A. Gore-inventor of the internet genius)

Answer 8

Because theirs so many polar ice caps in the world.

Answer 9

It would overflow the glass if the water level was at the top of the glass and the ice was above it.

Answer 10

water expands when it freezes, therefore it shrinks in volume when it melts . But if you have iceburgs melting which are solid to start with, the water level will rise once the ice is turned to liquid. If you have say exactly 1/2 cup of water and you add ice to it. The cup still has 1/2 cup of liquid. Once that ice melts, see how much more liquid you have in the cup as an experiment. The polar ice caps are just basically floating on water already, if they melt, that adds more water and raises the level over any land nearby.

Answer 11

The IPCC's prediction of sea level rise (about a foot) will occur if land-based ice melts (glaciers) .  If icebergs melt, the resulting rise will not be measurable.  Like you stated, ice in a glass does not affect the height of water just like those icebergs.

Answer 12

Because when glaciers melt, think about the massive amount of water that will come from those even MORE massive glaciers:)

Answer 13

because there no esides on the world