Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Tide is High



The deluge scenario predicts that the sea levels would rise 7 meters if the Greenland ice sheet melted and 61 meters if the Antarctic ice cap melted. Presently, it is considered unlikely that either of these two events will happen before millennia have passed. Among other reasons, the high altitude of the central ice caps ensures a deep freeze effect that is not going to warm up any time soon.

The more present danger would be a sea level increase caused by melting glaciers and loos of ice around the edges of Greenland and Antarctica. It is estimated that a half-meter sea level rise would be plausible in this scenario. What do we know for sure about the effect of a half meter sea level rise on weather, extreme weather, the tides, accelerated global warming, etc? Not much, if the accuracy of every day weather reporting is any indication.

Yes, the world is doing quite well without that extra 1/2 meter of ocean, thank-you very much! I hope you like my painting, The Tide is High!