Comment Re:Ice melting not the problem (Score 1) 664
Controls on sea level vary widely in both temporal and geographic scale:
1) tectono-eustatic; first order control on basin shape. (long term)
2) sedimento-eustatic; erosion of mountains, etc. (long term)
3) juvenile H2O formation; via vulcanism. (long term)
4) glacial-interglacial. (shorter term)
5) glacial-isostatic; glacial rebound, e.g. Norway (shorter term)
6) hydro-isostatic; loading with water rather than ice (shorter term)
Thermal expansion is a potential source of short-term sea level rise, but not the only one. Melting of ice currently floating in the North Atlantic may have indirect effects on sea level (due to complex ocean-atmosphere interactions), but will not directly cause sea level to change (principle of isostasy).
Now the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet is another matter...
1) tectono-eustatic; first order control on basin shape. (long term)
2) sedimento-eustatic; erosion of mountains, etc. (long term)
3) juvenile H2O formation; via vulcanism. (long term)
4) glacial-interglacial. (shorter term)
5) glacial-isostatic; glacial rebound, e.g. Norway (shorter term)
6) hydro-isostatic; loading with water rather than ice (shorter term)
Thermal expansion is a potential source of short-term sea level rise, but not the only one. Melting of ice currently floating in the North Atlantic may have indirect effects on sea level (due to complex ocean-atmosphere interactions), but will not directly cause sea level to change (principle of isostasy).
Now the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet is another matter...
