Climate Change If the global climate were to warm significantly, the Arctic ice cap would start to melt. This ice cap contains an estimated 680,000 cubic miles of water. More than 200 million people currently live on land that is less than 3 feet above sea level. In the United States several large cities have low average elevations. Two examples are Boston (14 feet) and San Diego (13 feet). In this exercise you are to estimate the rise in sea level if this cap were to melt and determine whether this event would have a significant impact on people.
(a) The surface area of a sphere is given by the expression 4πr2, where r is its radius. Although the shape of the earth is not exactly spherical, it has an average radius of 3960 miles. Estimate the surface area of the earth.
(b) Oceans cover approximately 71% of the total surface area of the earth. How many square miles of the earth’s surface are covered by oceans?
(c) Approximate the potential rise in sea level by dividing the total volume of the water from the ice cap by the surface area of the oceans. Convert your answer from miles to feet.
(d) Discuss the implications of your calculation. How would cities such as Boston and San Diego be affected?
(e) The Antarctic ice cap contains 6,300,000 cubic miles of water. Estimate how much sea level would rise if this ice cap melted. (Source: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey.)
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