How much water is in the
East Antarctic ice sheet?
Let’s measure it in Sea Level Rise
around the globe
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University/Earth Institute
First, what is an Ice Sheet?
A continental sized glacier
ANTARCTICA
East Antarctic Ice Sheet
The East Antarctica ice sheet is on the
right. Can you name another?
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University/Earth Institute
There are two other ice sheets…
Greenland
West Antarctica
West
Antarctica
Both much smaller
But why do we measure ice sheets by
‘Sea Level Rise’?
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University/Earth Institute
Ice is frozen water - ice sheets are just
LARGE amounts of frozen water…
Wonder
how much
is in me?
Just how
much of the
Earth’s water
is in the
oceans?
96.5%
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University/Earth Institute
When ice
sheets form
they remove
water from
it’s largest
reservoir…
the world’s
oceans!
When large amounts of water freeze
there is less available for the oceans
During glacial periods when the
Earth is much colder, water is
frozen into glaciers on the
continents instead of falling
into the oceans
…this has an impact on sea level!
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University/Earth Institute
So sea level was not always where it is now!
Many years ago it was much lower…
Going to
the beach
would have
been a
MUCH
longer trip!
old coastline
Colder temperatures freeze water into
glaciers
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University/Earth Institute
~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.
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 scalethey
measure 125
meters in
height.
Each meter is 3.3 ft….
so 413 feet!
Full size building
NOW think
of the water
going that
far DOWN!
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University/Earth Institute
How many
feet is that?
Sea level has also been higher!
~75,000-125,000 years ago there was a warming
period.
Remember
Scientists
this rock
estimate that
formation is
sea level in
20-33 ft.
125m tall.
Eastern
Locate
coastal U.S.
where the
was 6 to 10m
water would
higher than
have been in
today.
that time
This building would
period
have been underwater
How many
feet is this?
Warmer temperatures melt
glaciers, raising sea level
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia 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 Observatory
Columbia University/Earth Institute
To explore how much sea level rise is
in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet…
Try the Activity!
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University/Earth Institute