how far away do you think the planet's sea shores are safe from this polar ice meltdown?
470850
...nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
50509
The ice would melt and ocean levels would rise causing some flooding along most coastlines and possibly upto several miles inland.  As for the earth axis, the axis of the earth rotates and one complete rotation takes about 26,000 years.  This rotation will 'flip' the seasons at some point in the distant future (so Christmas will be in summer).  This axis rotation causes most shifts in the patterns of warm and cold, dry and wet climates.  Don't buy into the tree hugging hippie crap that SUV's cause polar ice to melt, the proof just isn't there!
163435
it sounds like you're talking about global warming. it's very likely that the oceans will rise significantly and that the coastline of all the continents and islands is gonna change considerably. the latest I've heard is not 3' in the next 30 years but maybe 1'.
876065
Yes definetly, infact it has already started. there are many theories that link to global warming including that the glaciers would melt because of the rise in temperature and that will cause sea levels to rise. It may also cause a problem for geese migrations. Summers will get even more hotter, a decrese in snow may also be possble. But thats just my opinion
819923
Careful calculations from the MIT Physics and Climatological Research Center in MASS. state unequivocally it would be "immeasurable" and could very well bring on the next Ice Age...the obliteration again of all life as we know it on this planet.\n\nOn the other hand it would be great to see that pathetic, Far Left Wing ACLU Adoring Hyper-Liberal along with Al Franken and of course the Wicked Witch of the West Nancy Pelosi the San Francisco Gay & Lesbian Rights Values Champion  disintergrated!
462329
http://www.oceansatlas.org/unatlas/issues/emergencies/OceanPhenHDNO/Dangerous.html
1140995
No, they won't be outraged.  Somehow it will be the fault of "neo-cons" who are Gore bashing and don't have any proof that he is wrong.  It's easy to mislead people with fear.  Especially when you say things like "the polar ice caps are melting more rapidly than ever and will lose significant portions of land mass in the next ten years!"  Okay, what does that mean?  How much is it losing relative to its mass?  Where are your numbers?  Oh, I forgot, numbers don't SUPPORT their arguments.  Why must we suffer the ignorance of fools?
221741
The density of seawater:\n\nhttp://hypertextbook.com/facts/2002/EdwardLaValley.shtml\n\nThe density of ice:\n\nhttp://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/122Adensityice.html\n\nThe figures for the world's volume of freshwater are available on a number of sites and in various texts.  Suffice to say that about 97% of the world's water is oceanwater, and some 80-90% of what's left over is frozen in the ice sheets.\n\n''With ice being significantly less dense than water will melted glaciers and ice mass really cause the ocean to rise? And even if that is so, would the volume of ice melting have to be incredibly dramatic to cause even a small rise?''\n\nDefinitely.  Sea ice will not contribute to rising sea level, but ice sequestered in glaciers will, because it was ultimately derived from the ocean.  The volume of melting would not have to be dramatic to make life interesting; if Greenland alone melted, that would raise sea level by some 20 feet.  A much smaller rise over the next century, of one to three feet, would still be disastrous for the most low-lying areas of the globe.
886956
It already has, or do you not read that all the worlds ice formations are melting at an alarming rate.  Usually when the ice melts in your freezer, it is getting to warm in there.
308015
Short answer: nothing would happen.\n\nLonger answer:  Think of it like this.  The oceans make up 2/3rds of the surface area of the planet, approximately.  They are much, much deeper than tall buildings, trees, or even mountains.  Also think about water displacement- the volume of water that something displaces is equal to its own volume.\n\nRising sea levels are caused, mostly, by melting polar ice caps.  So how big are these ice caps and how much is melting?  The ice caps cover the Arctic (the size of a major continent) and most of Antarctica, which together is probably the size of two major continents.  Worst case scenario- most of it melts.  Let's be optimistic- 10%.  Can you really imagine the boats that we have adding up to 10% the volume of an entire continent, let alone two?  No, it's ridiculous.  A mountain or two, sure, plausible, but something the size of Texas?  No.  Absolutely not.
787121
They could sink a lot.\nIt appears to be fact that in a heavy ice age there was no water between Siberia and Alaska, and that mankind (and many animals and plants) came thus to the American continent.\nAt the moment I wouldn't worry about a new ice age. We are doing everything to reach the contrary, a global warming. Sea levels are rising, endangering cities on the coast. Another effect of the global warming is, that strength and number of hurricanes rise.
997939
In this enviroment of Global Warming I would say not. Cold is not cool any more, warming is hot.
73569
Migration to warmer regions. Not all of the earth was covered in ice.
564994
Not the easiest thing in the world to get to O3 from H20...\n\nPlus large ice balls in our atmosphere have an unpleasent history of killing things...
499690
What would you like done about it?\nGovernments and industry love the idea of thinning sea ice.  It opens new shipping lanes and reduces the workload on icebreakers.
519837
upon recent tabulations, the amount of time before the ice caps melt is 1469 years, so why are you worrying about it?
249380
definitely. it's practically the one part of global warming scientists agree on.\nover the next century, we will see the oceans warming and thus expanding (sadly flooding places like Venice), also the polar ice caps melting (once again, not good. they keep the earth cool...see a vicious cycle?), not to mention serious climate change and animals migrating to the north to keep cool. it's already happening...yikes!