Global Warming

>
> > As for what I was thinking of, it's been theorized that melting in
> > Antarctica might result in the sudden collapse of the Ross Ice
> Shelf, which
> > might raise ocean levels much more precipitously than what we'll
> otherwise
> > get by gradual melting.
> >
> The Total volume of the Ross Ice Shelf will increase the sea level
> negliably, less than 1 mm by my calculations. The sudden collapse will
> create a tidal wave in the pacific, but that is a one time event.
> Tidal waves happen for other reasons without massive policy changes
> and it can be argued successfully this one would never happen again.
>
> The problem that most people attribute to global warming crisis is
> that there is no catestraphic events to point to and say if we don't
> mend our ways this will happen again.

An ice shelf (which is already floating on the sea) will make no
difference to sea level if it floats away and melts or stays where it
is. Shouldn't create any tidal waves either. However, Antartica does
have enough ice in its land glaciers to raise global sea levels by at
least 10's of meters. There may be signs now that some of them are
deteriorating faster than expected - if one of the great Antarctic ice
sheets were to be somehow rapidly destroyed, that would be pretty
dramatic.

Arthur Smith (apsmith@...