A glaciologist (who knew there were such people) says sea levels will rise at varying rates around the world because of a quirk of the earth’s gravity linked to global warming.” I am not too sure how gravity is linked to global warming, but….

“Everyone thinks sea level rises the same around the world,” David Vaughan, a leading glaciologist, said at the Rothera Base on the Antarctic Peninsula. “But it doesn’t”.

The, um, ‘expert’ days sea rises could vary by tens of centimeters from region to region, provided seas gain by an average of one meter by 2100 along with temperature rises. Translation – temps must rise AND seas must rise on average one meter by 2100, THEN, there MIGHT be a variation. In other words, he doesn’t know, he is just guessing.

Vaughn says that big ice sheets on Antarctica and on Greenland have a gravitational pull that lifts the seas around them. This means that water levels around Antarctica are higher than if the frozen continent were an open ocean. Huh?!

When the ice thaws Antarctica gets smaller and its gravitational tug diminishes. In some places around the continent Vaughn says the level of the Southern Ocean might even drop even though there is a flood of fresh water into the oceans.

The paradox is seas will rise least where thawing ice pours into them and most further away from where the ice is melting.

Vaughan said, “Ice lost from Antarctica has a bigger impact on European sea level rise than ice lost from the European Alps.”

Try this – put some ice cubes into a glass of water and mark the level of the water. Then wait for a few hours for the ice to melt and go back and check the water level. Come back and tell me the difference.

If you're new here and you like our articles, how about subscribing free for our updates via RSS feed.

Related posts:

  1. Melting Antartic Ice a consequence of Global WarmingThe melting of one of the world’s largest ice-sheet would alter earth’s gravity changing the rotation in space and thereby forcing a rise in sea...

  2. Japan Meteorological Agency Adds to Global Warming StatisticsThe Japan Meteorological Agency has some new global warming statistics. According to the agency, the pace of global warming appears to be slowing. “The average...

  3. G8 deal on global warming limit will pave way for post-Kyoto Protocol treatyThe agreement reached at the recent summit of the Group of Eight industrial nations (the G8) held in Italy to limit global warming to no...