Thread: It's getting windier.
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Old 09-01-2005, 19:38   #123
Theodoric
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Re: It's getting windier.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnHorb
...disregarding the effect of changes in density, which I suspect is what nffc was referring to. All a bit acedemic though, as the main danger is from melting ice which is currently ON LAND.
I know that at first sight it seems like it should, but in actual fact, the changes in density don't make any difference. The ice contains exactly enough water, when it melts, to fill the space that the ice occupies in the water; no more, no less.

Even if the ice has drifted south to warmer water before it started melting it still wouldn't make any difference. Consider the ice at 0C and the water at 20C. The ice contains the same weight of water as that that was in the "hole" it makes. Assume it now melts very rapidly. Initially, as the melt water is at 0C, it will be a little smaller in volume than the hole. However, when it warms up to 20C it will expand exactly enough to fill the "hole", so the water level will remain the same.
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