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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • sea level
  • ice shelves
  • sea ice

Index Terms

  • Oceanography: Physical: Sea level: variations and mean
  • Cryosphere: Ice shelves
  • Cryosphere: Sea ice
  • Cryosphere: Icebergs
  • Global Change: Sea level change

Abstract

Melting of floating ice and sea level rise

Adrian Jenkins

British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge, UK

David Holland

Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, New York, USA

Contrary to popular belief, the melting of floating ice (in the form of ice shelves, icebergs and sea ice) may have a non-zero impact on sea level. This is because the melting process cools and dilutes the oceans on average, and unless these opposing effects exactly balance each other there will be a net change in the ocean density. We discuss how these subtle effects can be quantified and put bounds on the potential sea level rise associated with melting of the ice masses that are currently afloat in the world's oceans.

Received 24 May 2007; accepted 2 August 2007; published 31 August 2007.

Citation: Jenkins, A., and D. Holland (2007), Melting of floating ice and sea level rise, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L16609, doi:10.1029/2007GL030784.

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