Will melting ice cause water to rise

[geoffreyhunt]

If Ice floats because it displaces more water that it weighs then why will the eaths water levels rise if the ice melts due to global warming.

[gen2]

Actually floating ice displaces its own weight of water (not more).

What I think you are getting at is that when floating ice melts, there will be no change in sea level - and that is true. The increase in sea level will be the result of all the ice currently sitting on land melting. There are vast qhantities of water locked up as ice in the Greenland icecap and the Antarctic icecap. When that melts, it will all run into the sea and raise its level.

[gen2]

*quantities* (sorry about the typo)

[stevie21]

Why won't sea levels rise as a result of floating ice melting? Surely that ice will go from being ice above the current sea level to water above the current sea level?

[Gnisy]

Try this:
Fill glass with ice, then fill the glass with water up to the brim.
Leave the ice to melt into water, totally.

Question: Does the water overflow or is the water level still maintained at the brim?

Note: Condensation may occur outside of the glass, so keep an eye on the water levels.
Do not assume that water has overflown just because the outside of the glass is wet.

Try it, then decide whether or not the melting of ice will cause water levels to rise.

G'luck

[Geo1000]

Ice is less dense than water - so in effect when solid it is 'expanded' . When it melts it shrinks back to its watery size. So the ice 'below' the water line shrinks by exactly the volume of the ice that was once above the water line - hence no increase in level for floating ice melting.