6660 Melting Icebergs Experiment

This week we were given the opportunity to research further into the very controversial topic of global warming. Through extensive research I found that various sources have very similar predictions with regards to what would happen if the polar ice caps melted. If the polar ice caps melt sea levels would rise and therefore, shorelines would decrease. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the sea level rose between 6 to 8 inches in the past 100 years (Milbourn, 2010).

Pieces of ice that break of glaciers are called icebergs; “in order to float, the iceberg displaces a volume of water that has a weight equal to that of the iceberg,” which is exactly what took place during our experiment (Brian, 2000). According to the National Geographic, thermal expansion has already raised the oceans 4 to 8 inches by 2004 (Lovgren, 2004). It has been reported by the EPA that Antarctica is where ninety percent of world’s ice is located; if it melts sea levels would rise by 200 feet. Furthermore, if this happens in United States alone 10,000 square miles would be submerged in water (Milbourn, 2010). As the temperature the rises animals need to migrate even farther north because of the temperature difference. If this continues some animals may become extinct if they are not able to adapt. In addition, the weather patterns will change for instance which will cause hurricanes to become more intense. Moreover, plant hardiness zones have already changed between 1990 and 2006 (Milbourn 2010). As a result, “decreasing the agricultural stability and food security” (Milbourn, 2010).


During this Science Inquiry Experience I had several questions that I will further investigate:

*What would happen if I placed the glass on a hotplate? How much faster would the ice melt? Therefore, are there any scientists looking into possible heat coming from inside the earth?
*Would the ice melt faster if placed under direct light? A 75 watt lamp would be used to represent the sun.
* It took an hour for the ice to melt completely, how much faster would it melt with the above stated scenarios?
*What changes would I observe if the temperature that was being poured into the glass changed (hot or cold) with the ice already in the glass?
* According to the EPA, in the last 3,000 years there were five periods of temperature increase, is there evidence that supports the idea that global warming is taking place because it is one of the patterns again? It is possible that greenhouse effect and all the other human factors are just changing the rule to the pattern?

References:

Banchi,H. & Bell, R. (2008). The many levels of inquiry. Science and Children, 46(2), 2629.

Brain, M. (2000). "If the polar ice caps melted, how much would the oceans rise?" HowStuffWorks.com. Archive retrieved from
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question473.htmon May 20, 2010.

Lovgren, S. (2004). Warming to Cause Catastrophic Rise in Sea Level? National Geographic News. Retrieved on May 20, 2010 from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/04/0420_040420_earthday.html

Milbourn, C. (2010). EPA Issues Report on U.S. Climate Change Indicators. Retrieved on May 20, 2010 from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicators.html