Stupid science sea ice melting question

[Tom]

Ice which is floating on water displaces exactly the same amount of water as it will replace. Hence it won't increase sea levels when it melts. But it will increase the albedo of the poles, causing them to absorb more solar energy, and reflect less.

Ice which in on land, on the other hand, will cause sea levels to rise. Such as Antarctica and Greenland. I'm not sure when this is predicted to happen. Whether it is a natural cycle or not, people are pretty much fucked when this happens.

There will be a slight raise, because the ice is freshwater, whereas the sea is saltwater. Therefore the ice does not displace quite as much water as you'd expect, because it's less dense.

Its not much though.



Basically, when it comes to the climate, nobody really knows what is happening. Its all educated guesswork led mostly by anti-capitalist dogma.

 

[Embattle]

Better safe than sorry when it comes to issues of our direct effects.

 

[rynnor]

Better safe than sorry when it comes to issues of our direct effects.

Surely the opposite is true - before we start taxing/ causing famines by using biofuels/ telling the 3rd world not to develop dont you think we ought to be sure?