While discussing global warming last week, Dan was telling me that he doesn’t understand why people claim that the polar ice caps melting equate to a rise in the water level. Dan discusses it on his Website. Translated, I think Dan is saying that, according to the laws of physics, because of something called “density†and “mass†and “things changing states,” the icebergs melting shouldn’t raise the water level.
I think Dan is pretty smart. So if I buy his theory based on “science,†I am left wondering why the water level is rising.
I think it’s because of an overpopulation of fish taking up too much space in the ocean. Or octopi, or a major starfish reproduction problem. Any sea creature really. They’re reproducing at ridiculous rates, and we’ll be the ones to pay the price. New York City underwater, all because a couple of sharks get drunk and make a bad decision. Los Angeles, under the sea, thanks to a bunch of horny jellyfish. They must be stopped. I’m open to suggestions.
I know. I think the reality is that there is a massive alien battalion stationed on the dark side of the moon ready to commence a full blown assault to take over earth hence creating more mass on the moon. As the mass of the moon increases, its gravitation pull increases as well. Since we all know, i hope, that the moon’s gravity is responsible for the tides on our planet, the higher its gravitational pull, the higher tides we get on planet earth. Therefore we have now a rise in our sea level!
(By the way, I’ve live next to the ocean almost all of my life (first 12 years on a little island with a little 5 year inland vacation at the ‘no and the last 14 years on the California coast. The sea levels have not moved the whole freaking time. Not to say global warming doesn’t exist. It just doesn’t do much to raise the sea levels.)
Interesting theory Dan. I also considered global warming and the fact that because it\’s so freaking hot outside, fish have been drinking a lot more water and subsequently have to pee more. The more the sea creatures collectively pee, the higher the water rises.
Nice Jeremy. I think you are on to something. Except your theory violates the Law of Conservation of Matter and Energy. But what the hell do they know. Law are made to be broken!
I’m clearly no expert in this matter, but I’ve seen the water rising in toilets for a while now. And, I’ve seen the water evaporating from the powder blue jetta’s at a more rapid pace than ever due to the temperatures rising every year. If you can’t see global warming in that, you’re not looking…what?
Here is my hypothesis….ever since you posted the picture of Short in the 800-NO CHANCE t-shirt, the world has gotten a lot hotter. Hot because he makes the women hot with lust and Hot because he makes the men furious with envy.
Maybe the water level isn’t rising. Maybe the ground is sinking.
I am no “scientist”, but I think that polar ice caps are glaciers on land. They melt and part breaks off into the water, causing it to rise. Like dropping an ice cube into my captain as opposed to an ice cube already in the captain melting (but I don’t let that happen). But yeah, I think fish might be fucking a lot too.
Glaciers are technicly frozen rivers that move slowly down the river banks into the ocean. They are in perpetual motion and have always been melting. just like the glaciers that moved down the Merced River that formed Yosemite Valley and Hetch Hetchy Valley millions of years ago…. Damn it. I am such a nerd.
At least you learned something on our trip to Yosemite. All I walked away with was a wicked hangover, a broken rib, a $75 ticket from the federal government for unauthorized camping and a strongly worded suggestion by a federal deputy that I leave the park.
Trying…to hold…back….nerdy…science teacher…response…
Ok, so the way I see it (without actually looking anything up) is that Dan is 1/2 right. If the polar ice caps were entirely in the water (floating) then the fact that they change phase (melt) would do nothing to the ocean levels. However, the polar ice caps are not entirely floating and it’s the portion of water tied up as glaciers (or frozen rivers) on land that is voluminous enough that when added to the ocean may result in a significant rise in sea levels. Also, water does change density slightly when warmed so as global temps increase water levels may rise even more albeit, this affect may be negligible.
The main concern with melting ice caps is the fact that there is a feedback-loop associated with rising temps and melting ice. It goes like this, ice caps reflect a significant portion of the sun’s energy (high albedo) in affect insulating polar regions from the sun’s energy. However, as ice recedes open water takes its place and unlike ice, water absorbs more of the suns energy -> increased water temps -> more melting ice -> more open water -> etc…
So to boil it all down there are 2 main concerns:
1. melting ice resulting in increased surface water temps and further melting
2. melting glaciers resulting in increased ocean levels
Now what scientists are unsure of is whether the increased ocean temps will positively affect sponge populations which may, in turn absorb the extra water from melting glaciers. And yes I made this last bit up.
I suggest we start massively extracting the NaCl out of the ocean and consume the resulting H2O orally in order to store them in our urinary bladders. Assuming everyone in the world participates in this drastic measure we direly need to undertake in order to save our planet, 6.5 billion people holding a liter of water each could potentiall withhold 1.7 billion gallons of water in our bladders hence negating the effect of rising sea level.
As long as I can leave room for beer, I’m in!
Having my statements ‘boiled’ downed to 2 points by derek in the last comment, I am assuming it has much lower density now than it did before hence having little to nil effect towards the rising sea levels.
As mentioned in my blog. My post has no arguments for, or against, the topic of global warming.
btw, The polar icecaps are observably shrinking mostly in size rather than height meaning most of which was already below the water’s surface.
