GSFC: Mega-Canyon under Greenland Ice Sheet

[BDanielMayfield]

Removal of Greenland’s ice in addition to causing sea level rise will cause Greenland to rebound by hundreds of meters. But the added weight of the waters across the Earth’s vast ocean basins will also press down on the ocean seafloor, pushing it down. This will literally raise the continental landmasses over time, partially compensating for the rise of sea level.

It won't compensate in any meaningful way, given the radically different times scales of sea level change and continental rebound. After all, the rebound presently occurring in North America can't began to keep up with recent sea level rises.

The good news, however, is that continental rebound will eventually allow archaeologists to investigate the several thousand year old remains of New York and Miami without needing to dive.

I agree. But the point I was making is that all things kind of balance out in the end.

IMAG2338p.jpg

ha-ha, i didn't really ask, but thanks. There seems to be a hell-of-a-lotta ice on Greenland

You betcha. This is what it looked like just a few hours ago from 42,000 feet.

Glad you made it back to N. America Chris. How did the late summertime ice pack look on the Artic Ocean?

[BMAONE23]

The good news, however, is that continental rebound will eventually allow archaeologists to investigate the several thousand year old remains of New York and Miami without needing to dive.

Sometimes "good news" doesn't really seem all that good.

I should fill a hard drive or perhaps something with better storage retention and put it in a time capsule for them to find before I leave. I could take photos of traffic jams and record audio files of people angrily honking at one another over the split second pause someone made after a light turned green. I could write a journal entry about people getting angry at the post office or grocery store because there is a long line and another about the sleepless nights I encountered when first moving here because of the airplanes and streetlights. A longer, more upbeat section would have to be devoted to the multicultural food selection available nearly within arm's reach. And then I could write about how people of different races all came together in one city and got along for the most part but they still all congregated in their own racially segregated neighborhoods and talk trash about the others behind their backs.

The definition of a split second is that certain span of time between the time it takes for the light turns green and the jerk behind you to start laying on their horn

WHILE

The definition of forever is that certain span of time between the time it takes for the light turns green and the idiot in front of you finally realize it

[Chris Peterson]

I agree. But the point I was making is that all things kind of balance out in the end.

Maybe not, in this case. Given the different time scales involved, you have averaging effects, as well as a variable phase shift. Things may not truly balance out until we stop having glacial periods completely.

Glad you made it back to N. America Chris. How did the late summertime ice pack look on the Artic Ocean?

Didn't get as far north as the Arctic Ocean. There were quite a few icebergs coming off the east side of southern Greenland; nothing from the southwest.

[geckzilla]

The definition of a split second is that certain span of time between the time it takes for the light turns green and the jerk behind you to start laying on their horn

WHILE

The definition of forever is that certain span of time between the time it takes for the light turns green and the idiot in front of you finally realize it

I don't consider the person in front of me as automatically being an idiot for taking a moment to realize the light turned green. If they need to look at their GPS, adjust their radio, or any of the other numerous things people do in the car I'd much prefer they do it in that moment than while moving. I would definitely consider myself a jerk for being so impatient to consider that split second a form of "forever" though.

[BDanielMayfield]

So I was wondering, how much does 2,850,000 cubic kilometers of ice weigh ... ?

1 cubic meter of water weighs 1000 kilograms or 2200lbs. There are 1,000,000,000 (billion) cubic meters in a cubic kilometer so a cubic kilometer of water weighs 1,000,000,000,000 (trillion) kilograms or 2,200,000,000,000 pounds

Datsa lotta watta

Right, and thanks. But ice is lighter than liquid water which is why it floats. The density of ice is about 92% of that of water. Therefore, extending BMAONE23's figures the weight of the main Greenland icepack is 2.85E6 km^3 x 0.92 x 1E12 kg/km^3 = 2.622E18 kg. It looks bigger if you don't use exponential notation, so this ice sheet weighs 2,622,000,000,000,000,000 kilograms, which is why, given enough time, it can lift the continents.

[geckzilla]

Right, and thanks. But ice is lighter less dense than liquid water which is why it floats.

Sorry, couldn't help but reword it.

[BDanielMayfield]

The definition of a split second is that certain span of time between the time it takes for the light turns green and the jerk behind you to start laying on their horn

WHILE

The definition of forever is that certain span of time between the time it takes for the light turns green and the idiot in front of you finally realize it

Why, I think you may have just discovered that time is also relative.

[BDanielMayfield]

Right, and thanks. But ice is lighter less dense than liquid water which is why it floats.

Sorry, couldn't help but reword it.

No need to apologize. The correction was needed. Thanks.