What will happen when the ice caps melt?
According to the experiment, it seems that nothing would happen, but that goes against everything I have heard. Upon more research and thought, I would say that oceans will rise. Not all the ice that is and will melt is in the ocean, so as that water melts it will eventually drain into the oceans. If ice or water was added to the full bowl of water, it too would have "flooded". Also, the experiment was in a bowl; the Earth is not bowl-shaped. And wouldn't surface tension play a role in the water staying in the bowl? The bowl was also left unjostled. If jostled, water "flooded" out. The Earth is not still; plates are constantly moving.
Animals and plants that do live in those icy habitats will have to adapt. THe amount of fresh water will change, less of ot will be stored in glaciers and ice. The density of the ocean water will be altered, thus changing currents, which will further effect the climate.
Other questions:
Does surface tension play a role in the experiment?
Anybody used this with their students?
Anybody have any other experiments that deal with melting ice caps or global warming taht they would like to share?
Also, This American Life on January 13th, (A program on NPR and PRI)there was a global warming debate story. A teenager taht completely believes global warming is a myth and a scientist that studies global warming shared their views, including back up evidence. It was an interesting show. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/424/kid-politics?act=2
Georgianna,
ReplyDeleteThere are two things going on with this experiment. One, the buoyancy/displacement issue with an object free floating in water. The water will displace exactly the amount of mass of the object so that when it is ice and it melts, there is no "rise" in the water level. But what is going on with the potential for rising oceans comes from ice that is not currently displacing the oceans, but rather from ice that is covering land mass, breaking off into the ocean, and then melting. (This is what is happening at the South Pole, as Antarctica is a landmass covered with large amounts of ice. The North Pole is all ice, i.e., displacing the current level of ocean water.) The other issue with melting ice is that the amount of frozen ice that was present 50 years ago, and not present today changes the temperature of the earth. Fifty percent reduction in ice means 50% less ice to help balance the coolness of the climate. Scientists are researching the loss of cooling conditions and there are many theories alive today that are trying to explain all sides of the Global Warming/Climate Change issue.
Hope that helps. :)
Janie
Georgianna - I was amazed with how fast the Northern ice caps are melting compared to the Southern ice caps. I wonder if the water temperature is helping the Northern ice caps melt more than the ice caps in the Southern hemisphere due to the land mass? I like this activity because it affects everyone. Good post!
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