Ice Might Trigger Sudden 16ft Rise In Sea Levels

A massive ice sheet in the Antarctic is in danger of collapsing. Its collapse would raise sea levels around the earth by more than 16 feet (5 meters).

From: The Independent: Dramatic change in West Antarctic ice could produce 16ft rise in sea levels

British scientists have discovered a new threat to the world which may be a result of global warming. Researchers from the Cambridge-based British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have discovered that a massive Antarctic ice sheet previously assumed to be stable may be starting to disintegrate, a conference on climate change heard yesterday. Its collapse would raise sea levels around the earth by more than 16 feet.

Professor Chris Rapley, the BAS director, told the conference at the UK Meteorological Office in Exeter, which was attended by scientists from all over the world, that their discovery had reactivated worries about the ice sheet's collapse.

Professor Rapley said: "The last IPCC report characterised Antarctica as a slumbering giant in terms of climate change. I would say it is now an awakened giant. There is real concern."

5 meters! FIVE! This is a huge disaster which could happen any moment...

not that we will do anything till it happens like the tsunami

I'm so glad I carry an inflatible raft and a pfd with me. I'm even happier that I am on the 20th floor.


alarmist scientific theory. These guys will predict this and then, a few years from now, someone will disprove the theory and scientists will come up with a new way to scare the snot out of us.

I'm tired of it all. when the asteroid hits us, I plan on surfing the waves up park avenue. Hopefully, due to global warming, I should be able to do just that, unless of course, a comet crashes into the earth first or, worse still, the big giant piece of volcano comes crashing into the ocean creating a tsunami that envelopes NYC.


these guys should devote more time to more important areas of science like why men go bald.

Crakeur I have to agree with you... These things are possible but there are many other things that are possible and more likely to happen... If the seas rise there is nothing we can do about it and most of the U.S. and other areas are well above sea level in the first place. Also, there is nothing we can do about it as this 'global warming' is mostly part of a natural process witch would have little influence if we all of a sudden died off.

But then again, anything is possible...

This is a huge concern for people living at lower lying areas around the globe. It would be too much for alot of folks to take. I live close to the gulf coast and this is a constant concern for me. 16Ft. would wipe out our state.
Anyone have any ideas on a safer state to live in? How far north should a person in the south move to get out of flooding distance?
I have no doubts that people need anxiety drugs because of predictions like this and watching fox news...lol

Just one more reaon for me not to lease the little beach house in King Salmon, CA for the next year, this and only a 10 min. warning for tsunami evacuation.

[edit on 2/2/2005 by Cherish]

Originally posted by klain
not that we will do anything till it happens like the tsunami

I assume that people will do like they did after the Titanic hit the ice-berg. Go down to the restaurant and continue the party like nothing happened. I would suggest to try find a home at least 5 meters above sea level...

Fortunately I live more than 5 meters above the sea (And on 2. floor on top of that) so im not scared.

But how will this again affect the tide? More water to work with, should make the moon even more treacherous...

Is the ice-sheet in question afloat already?

If so, surely it wouldn't cause any rise in global sea levels because it is already displacing the same amount of water that its melting would produce.

More of a worry is the melting of land-based glaciers which would, of course, lead to a rise in sea level.

Can anyone confirm?

I'm pretty sure I am bellow sea level. *builds and ark* Woohoo.

Really though, like other people said this is scare tactics by scientist.

I think he means a glacier breaking up and falling into the ocean.

I wish something like this would just happen...I'm sick of all these doomsday predictions that don't come to pass!

Originally posted by Hellmutt
a massive Antarctic ice sheet previously assumed to be stable may be starting to disintegrate, a conference on climate change heard yesterday.

Well is it or is it not starting to disintigrate?

Originally posted by Nygdan

Originally posted by Hellmutt
a massive Antarctic ice sheet previously assumed to be stable may be starting to disintegrate, a conference on climate change heard yesterday.

Well is it or is it not starting to disintigrate?

It is disintegrating right now.

From the initial article...

BAS staff are carrying out urgent measurements of the remote points in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) where they have found ice to be flowing into the sea at the enormous rate of 250 cubic kilometres a year.

What they are afraid of is that it might collapse. They know it will collapse eventually, but they previously thought it will take a long time (>100 years). Now they believe it could happen very soon.

From the initial article again...

Collapse of the WAIS would be a disaster, putting enormous chunks of low-lying, desperately poor countries such as Bangladesh under water - not to mention much of southern England.

If this happens all at once and can raise global sea levels by 16 ft. it would probably cause devestating tsunamis worldwide at the time of collapse, no?

Sounds more like someone looking for grant money through scare mongering....

16 feet huh? Man, should have gone for something more palatable but equally scary... Even 4 feet would have disastrous consequences and is certainly more fathomable... Or did someone just forget a period? (i.e. 1.6 feet)

Yup, sudden climate changes/earth changes. The Day After Tommorow may become a documentary tomorrow. Now, can someone do me a favour. I would like to know which countries and land masses are at 16 feet sea level.

The ice sheet will have to have a volume corresponding to the increase in sea level, ie whatever volume of water you'd have over 16 feet applied across the world coastlines.

This sort of thing has certainly happened before, or at least enourmous peices of ice have slowly plopped into the artic oceans before. Its thought that, if into the atlantic, it'd desalinate the water, thus shutting down the Mid Oean Current, a density driven transoceanic cycling of water. I don't know if that specifically alters weather globally, but it does seem to be associated with Ice Ages.

Threat? Absolutely, positively, and completely and entirely plausible.

But is it actually occuring? Thats vitally important. Everyone has to be certain that its happening before they start evacuating coastal areas below "6 feet above sea level"

Originally posted by Hellmutt
It is disintegrating right now.

The report you cite states it may be. How long have they been recording melt data or whatever for that sheet?

they have found ice to be flowing into the sea at the enormous rate of 250 cubic kilometres a year.

And what is this relative to it former melt rate? And to other ice sheets in the region?

djohnsto77
it would probably cause devestating tsunamis worldwide at the time of collapse, no?

I'd think no, not actual tsunamis anyway, but it'd be a rush of water I'd think.

I would like to know which countries and land masses are at 16 feet sea level.

Hell, most. A 16 foot rise in sea level would pretty drastically change the coastlines of the world. Lots of micronesian/polynesian/indonesian countrys are only a few feet above sea level to begin with.

Originally posted by Gazrok
Or did someone just forget a period? (i.e. 1.6 feet)

I`m starting to wonder if that could be the case myself. If all the ice of the Antarctic melted, sea levels would rise "at least" 60-70 meters globally. If 5 meters is correct in this case, they must be talking about a lot of ice (more than 10 percent of Antarctica). It`s just that I`ve seen so many articles in different languages (english, danish, norwegian) where they all quote "5 meters" or "16 feet". Then they must all have been fooled by this mistake, if that`s what it is. Journalists could easily be fooled in this case. Scientists would be harder to fool, I guess...

Originally posted by Crakeur
...these guys should devote more time to more important areas of science like why men go bald.

I hope you are being sarcastic. Or do you think we should not have people monitoring conditions in the arctic and reporting back what is going on? If so, how do you justify your tax dollars for US and other country's installations there?

Think about this one...

If you drop an ice cube into a bathtub the water displacement is invisible to the naked eye. But it happens. It raises the level and it affects surface tension. If you could view the planet on the same scale as your bathtub and the ice sheet as the ice cube, would sixteen feet be visible to the naked eye?

I imagine the volume of ice is calculated based on density, surface area and estimated uniformness and thickness. That volume converted to liquid and spread all ove the earth's one ocean translates to what?

I'd like to see their calculation for how they arrived at 16 feet. Does it check out?

What's the surface area of the world's ocean?

I know that the density of ice is less than that of water. I also know that water's maximum density occurs around +4C and that the presence of salt affect's this number in relation to the concentration of salt. (surprising but true - water expands rather that contracts while freezing due to it's charged nature and resulting crystal formation). Damn those winter potholes!

What is the estimated volume of the ice sheet?

I think I can find the density numbers in an old text book. Anybody have the rest?

.

Hiya Gools, how you doing this lovely day, eh?

As for the topic, reads like something that was published in the book by Richard Noone: 5/5/2000.

Btw, what he was predicting "might" have come true also, being it was based on scientific and historical 'proofs and evidences', but as is the case of "might," "might" didn't take place, as was again predicted.



seekerof

[edit on 3-2-2005 by Seekerof]