Sea Level is Not Rising – Prove It for Yourself

It is common myth that if the earth's atmospheric temperature increases, it will melt polar ice and raise sea level. It is logical. It makes sense.

It is also very wrong.

But, you do not have to take my word for it.

A Home Experiment

1. take a wide-mouth glass, and half fill it with water
2. float an ice cube in the water: make sure it does not touch the sides or bottom of the glass
3. take a piece of tape, and carefully use it to mark the water level
4. let the ice cube melt completely
5. measure the new water level

Hey, magic! It is the same! Wait, how is that?

Density: because ice is lighter than water, it floats (well, duh...). Since ice is 10% lighter, 10% of the ice has to float above the water to compensate for lighter weight (think iceberg). This is the point that my high school science teacher tried to explain, but it went right over my head. It was not until Newtonian mechanics in college that I finally got it.

In fact, this phenomena is how water-body-fat measurement and sugar content meters work:

you can tell the difference in density by simply measuring what % of a free-floating object sticks above the level of the liquid.

Leave the Polar Caps Alone

So, if the earth's temp is going up, and if this causes polar ice to melt, it will not raise sea level by one micron.

Indeed, it is possible that sea level is rising, but it has other causes.

The Environmentalists are Tricking You

Yes, they are all aware of this bit of scientific jujitsu. Since a melting ice cube suspended over a glass increases the water level in the glass, they are hoping that you do not understand the difference. Well, this home experiment is rather counter-intuitive, but you have now proved it for yourself.