300 Feet? Really.
I just heard a number on one of the "Naughty Global Warming" shows that pollute the airwaves these days. They threw out the figure of 300 feet that I keep hearing from time to time for the amount that the world oceans would rise if the ice caps completely melted. Let's see about that.
Should be easy to figure out. Here are some data that allow the calculation to take place. The formula is easy, somthing from grade school math.
Volume equals area times height (V = A X h) -so-
Height equals volume divided by area (h = V/A)
The data is from well established sources such as US Geological Survey numbers available on the internet.
Area of the World = 488,000,000 square kilometers
Area of the Oceans = 361,000,000 square kilometers
Area of the Land = 127,000,000 square kilometers
First of all, we only can consider ice that is on land. Based on Archimedes principal, ice floating in the ocean will not increase the level of the ocean when it melts. If you have trouble with this call me, I can work you through it.
From the USGS, the volume of ice in Greenland and Antarctica add to 32,709,800 cubic kilometers.
Thus if this ice were deposited in the oceans,..
Volume of Ice = 32,709,800 cubic kilometers
Area of the Oceans = 361,000,000 square kilometers
Lets do it.
h= V/A = 32,709,800/361,000,000 = 0.0906 km = 90.6 meters
That's 297 feet. Damn.
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