Comments on: Where are the melting polar ice cap waters? http://carsonspost.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/where-are-the-melting-polar-ice-cap-waters/ Two guys talking politics, a generation apart. Thu, 31 Dec 2009 23:07:18 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Answer to where are those polar ice cap waters? « Carson’s Post http://carsonspost.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/where-are-the-melting-polar-ice-cap-waters/#comment-1146 Answer to where are those polar ice cap waters? « Carson’s Post Thu, 31 May 2007 20:18:22 +0000 http://carsonspost.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/where-are-the-melting-polar-ice-cap-waters/#comment-1146 [...] to where are those polar ice cap waters? Re: Where are the melting polar ice cap waters? AND ‘Comments’ coming of [...] [...] to where are those polar ice cap waters? Re: Where are the melting polar ice cap waters? AND ‘Comments’ coming of [...]

]]> By: politicsnpoetry http://carsonspost.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/where-are-the-melting-polar-ice-cap-waters/#comment-1145 politicsnpoetry Thu, 31 May 2007 19:48:38 +0000 http://carsonspost.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/where-are-the-melting-polar-ice-cap-waters/#comment-1145 http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs2-00/ http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs2-00/

]]> By: N. Johnson http://carsonspost.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/where-are-the-melting-polar-ice-cap-waters/#comment-1143 N. Johnson Thu, 31 May 2007 19:45:34 +0000 http://carsonspost.wordpress.com/2007/05/31/where-are-the-melting-polar-ice-cap-waters/#comment-1143 The North Pole ice cap floats on water. The ice displaces approximately the same amount of sea water as the liquid water that forms when the ice melts. In effect, when the North Pole ice cap melts, sea level does not rise. This is not true for mountain glaciers, the Greenland glacier, or the South Pole ice cap. If these melt, we will see the sea levels rise. Right now, it appears that the mass balance of the Greenland and South Pole ice sheets are about in equilibrium; the errors in the measurements are on the same order of magnitude as the measurements. But the mountain glaciers are losing mass, and we do see it in the sea level measurements. The North Pole ice cap floats on water. The ice displaces approximately the same amount of sea water as the liquid water that forms when the ice melts. In effect, when the North Pole ice cap melts, sea level does not rise.

This is not true for mountain glaciers, the Greenland glacier, or the South Pole ice cap. If these melt, we will see the sea levels rise. Right now, it appears that the mass balance of the Greenland and South Pole ice sheets are about in equilibrium; the errors in the measurements are on the same order of magnitude as the measurements. But the mountain glaciers are losing mass, and we do see it in the sea level measurements.

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