SEA ICE MELT WILL NOT CAUSE FLOODING

As Sea Ice melts it will not cause coastal flooding and will not raise sea levels one inch. How do we know this? After a few sentences of explanation I will give you an experiment you can try at home to prove this yourself.

First, however, let’s try to understand why the Extreme Left Wing Greens are getting so excited. In Antarctic there is a huge ice sheet named the ‘Wilkins’ ice shelf. (Click here for that story) It once covered 16,000 square miles and now has melted down to only 6,000 square miles, still a huge chunk of ice. Worse yet it sticks up in the air about 65 feet, meaning that it extends under water about 650 feet. A lot of ice. What will happen when it melts?

Well, first let’s apply some simple logic to past history. If this mass of ice has melted and downsized by 10,000 square miles, what happened to the melted ice? Did the earth flood? No indeed. That in itself should make us worry less about this flooding theory because if the melting of 10,000 square miles did not flood us why worry about the smaller 6,000 square miles chunk? While that was melting and other glaciers and Arctic sea ice have been melting the sea levels have only risen 1 1/2 inches. (Click here for that story) Although the article itself is bogus I will use their own data to prove them wrong. Common sense says that it is true that there is no danger.

"But...but...but..." the Greens will say, ‘Where will all of that water go?" The answer is ‘NO WHERE! IT'S ALREADY THERE!" It has already displaced its own mass of water when it formed. It’s not over land where it can melt and then run into the ocean, causing the sea level to rise. It’s already in the ocean.

Not only that, it will ultimately cause a slight shrinking of the oceans. How can that be? Water is at its densest at 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit. As it cools below that or warms above that it will expand slightly. Some scientific studies say that this expansion is only 0.01 %. Not even noticeable. What is noticeable? When water freezes it suddenly expands. It increases about 9% in volume. (Click here for USA Department of Energy statement) You already knew that. Ever had frozen water pipes burst? Same reason. As the ice melts it will decrease in volume by 9%. It will continue to decrease in volume at a slower rate until it reached 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit at which point it may eventually expand by 0.01% As the sea ice melts and warms 7 degrees it shrinks in volume by a little over 9%.

I heard you think that. I’m nuts, huh? Try this experiment. Fill a water glass with ice cubes. As many as it will hold, even have some stick out the top of the glass. Then very carefully fill the glass with water. Take great care to fill it exactly to the rim but not allowing one drop to spill over. Some portions of the ice cubes will extend above the surface of the water, just like it does on the Wilkins Ice Shelf and on all ice burgs. Sit back and allow the ice to melt. When you look at the water in the glass you will find that the glass is no longer full. It has dropped about five per cent I would guess. The fruitcake Extreme Greens think it’s a magic trick. "Well, where did all that ice sticking up into the air go?" No where! It was already there!

Now you know. Glaciers are another matter all together. Soon I will explain why we need have no fear of glacial melt. But that, my friends, is a story for another day.