Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

How much water is in the East Antarctic ice sheet?

Let’s measure it in Sea Level Rise

around the globe

Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

First, what is an Ice Sheet?

The East Antarctica ice sheet is on the right. Can you name another?

A continental sized glacier

East Antarctic Ice Sheet

ANTARCTICA

Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

There are two other ice sheets…

But why do we measure ice sheets by ‘Sea Level Rise’?

Greenland West Antarctica

West Antarctica

Both much smaller

Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

Ice is frozen water - ice sheets are just LARGE amounts of frozen water…

When ice sheets form they remove water from it’s largest reservoir… the world’s oceans!

Just how much of the Earth’s water is in the oceans?

96.5%Wonder how much is in me?

Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

When large amounts of water freeze there is less available for the oceans

…this has an impact on sea level!

During glacial periods when the Earth is much colder, water is

frozen into glaciers on the continents instead of falling

into the oceans

Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

So sea level was not always where it is now!

Many years ago it was much lower…

~20,000 years ago we were in a glacial period so there was less water in the ocean. The New Jersey/ New York coastline was much further away.

Blue section was

once land, today it i

s

under the ocean

old coastlineold coastline

Going to the beach would have been a MUCH longer trip!

Colder temperatures freeze water into glaciers

Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

Sea Level was not always where it is now!Scientists have found evidence that ~20,000 years ago global sea level was ~125 meters lower than today…

Let’s use these cliffs for scale- they measure 125 meters in height.

Full size building

Each meter is 3.3 ft….

so 413 feet!

NOW think of the water going that far DOWN!

How many feet is that?

Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

Sea level has also been higher!

Warmer temperatures melt glaciers, raising sea level

Scientists estimate that sea level in Eastern coastal U.S. was 6 to 10m higher than today.

Remember this rock formation is 125m tall. Locate where the water would have been in that time period

This building would have been underwater

How many feet is this?

20-33 ft.

~75,000-125,000 years ago there was a warming period.

Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

So how much water is in an ice sheet?

We just learned it is enough to raise sea level around the Earth

Lamont-Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia University/Earth Institute

To explore how much sea level rise is

in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet…

Try the Activity!