What effect, if any, would the melting of the ice caps have on the earths rotation?

Question

What effect, if any, would the melting of the ice caps have on the earths rotation?

Answer 1

I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't affect the earth's rotation, but there is concern about it affecting the oceans' thermohaline circulation.  That means the temperature change would s***w up the currents.  Not cool.

Answer 2

dumb people become dumber.

Answer 3

Good question. I'm guessing not much as the mass of the earth wouldn't change, and the water would, I guess, end up distributed evenly around the globe. I don't know if the tidal effect could influence rotation, given that a larger mass of water would be moving and maybe introducing some sort of precessional wobbling?

(I'm sure some smartarse will correct me if I'm wrong, or cut and paste from Wiki. to look smug)

Answer 4

It would have no effect atal.

However much water there is, the Earth is still at the same mass, and weight, so it'll just continue it's path around the sun, as every other planet would.

Answer 5

It would wobble away