Ok. Me and my friend got in a decently heated argument over this. First I will list what factors need to be considered and what the two possible results are.

Things we agreed on:

With in reason, the amount of water on earth has remained constant. Where it is, and it's state of form is what changes. Animals take in water, but replace it back in breathing, sweat,escramentt, decomposition etc.

Based on volume, ice takes up more space then water. It expands as it freezes.

We 'concluded' that a majority of ice burgs are 80-90% submerged.

Now we don't agree past that.

We are looking for one of two results. First they melt and coast lines move inland. Second, they melt and coast lines recess.

If the ice caps melt, the overall volume (space taken up) by the water on Earth is less then it was. So 'in theory' I feel the shore lines would recess.

He obviously thinks that they would move into Arizona.

Simple experiment I did to prove my point. Filled a glass with ice cubes then filled to the brim with water. As the ice melted the water level went down. /cough a lil sum'n I remembered from Mr. Wizard

He would keep saying, "Yeah but the ice caps would float down to the ocean X, melt and add water". Me "But if the ice burg could get there, it was already displacing more volume frozen in the adjacent ocean. Yes it adds more 'water', but the water it puts in takes less space then it was taking up in a frozen state".

I'm looking for opinions on both sides. Honestly I don't understand how you can think they (shore lines) will move inland. Inlighten me!

 

I'm thinking ice take up less space then water, when I fill the ice cube tray, they always shrink..

 

The sea level will rise, either slowly or dramatically depending on how quickly the melting process is ... Coastal regions will be severely affected by the rising tides, not as extreme as the Day After Tomorrow but the idea and concept isn't far. Just look at the Tsunami diasaster, the impact is already significant.

 

what about the ice on top of land at antartica? they would slide off and melt in the ocean...thus raising the ocean level.

 

No. If you freeze water it takes up more space then when in it's liquid state. It expands, no questions asked, that is 100% fact. One inch of rain equates to roughly 12 inches of snow, cause of the expansion, albiet an extreme example. The cubes don't shrink man.

Why do you think frozen bottles of beer explode? Take a 20 oz empty coke bottle, fill it to the brim with water. Cap it. Put in you're freezer. Come back and post a pic showing the water level went down

Tell me why you think the shore lines would move inland. Don't base it on some crack pot hollywood movie, even if (you think) it's not even close to that extreme. On what basis do you say that? Please try to back up you're opinion, tell me what you base you're thoughts on.

Edit - CLoud has the only sensasable arguement I can see. However alot of ice caped mountains I *think* are not really touching oceans. They tend to be futher inland, but surounded on one side by flat land, so to some extent I can start to believe some of it from that statement. I still stand on the statement of actual ice caps (extreme polar regions) giving way and melting, the oceans would recess.

 

Interesting theory. I see what your saying. If you fill up a bottle with water and than put it in the fridge, it would explode or overfill and spill out as it freezes.
Would the new space made by the melted ice leave enough room for the ice on top to take its place?

 

The Tsunami was cause by a shift in plates, roughly a 30ft shift upward on one of the ocean sea beds, and created an 8.9 quake, which started the swell in the middle of the ocean to lead to tsumani size waves on other coast regions.

That disaster was not in any way related to ice caps melting, or global warming (which IMO is a standard cycle of the earth anywho), it was all about shifts in the plates on the ocean sea bed.

 

i think pretty much the entire continent is covered in snow and ice...not just the mountains. theoretically the snow on top of the mountains would melt and and flow to lower levels, i.e. the ocean via rivers. but i dunno if this answers the original poster's question.

 

I'm starting to see clouds point much better now. I guess the question is, how much of Antartica is land vs ice above sea level. I'm guessing a large majority.

Thanks for the input

 

We would have beach front property in Dallas