Length of the day change if polar ice caps melt.

In summary, the question asks about the change in the length of the day if all the ice on Earth were to melt uniformly. The relevant equations used are the moment of inertia for a solid sphere and a spherical shell, as well as conservation of momentum. After calculations, the estimated time difference is 0.207 seconds.
  • #1
Jomaho
2
0

Homework Statement


Question requires assumption that the Earth is spherical, all the ice is located at the axis of rotation.
Basically if all the ice was to melt uniformally over the surface of the earth, what would be the change in the length of the day?
Mass of ice: m= 2.3*10^19 kg
Mass of earth: M= 6.4*10^24 kg (doesn't say whether this takes into account the ice, I assumed it does)

Homework Equations


Moment of inertia of a solid sphere: I=2m(r^2)/5
Moment of inertia of a spherical shell I=2m(r^2)/3
m=mass
r=radius

The Attempt at a Solution


I went about it as follows:

Initially: I1=2M(r^2)/5
After: I2=2(M-m)(r^2)/5 + 2m(r^2)/3

I then used conservation of momentum:
L= I1w1 = I2w2

Finally using:
Time diff = 2*pi*((1/w2)-(1/w1))
Where 2*pi/w1 = 24hours

This eventually canceled down to:
Time diff = (4*pi*m)/(3*w1*M)

I got the answer to be 0.621s. Would someone mind checking my method and answer?
 
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  • #2
Scratch that end answer, I've got 0.207s. Must not have divided by 3.
 

1. How would the length of the day change if polar ice caps melt?

If the polar ice caps were to melt completely, the length of the day would actually increase. This is because the melting of the ice caps would cause a redistribution of mass on the Earth's surface, which would result in a slight slowing down of the Earth's rotation. This would ultimately lead to a longer day, but the change would be very small and likely imperceptible to humans.

2. Would the length of the day change in both hemispheres if the polar ice caps melted?

Yes, the length of the day would change in both hemispheres if the polar ice caps melted. This is because the Earth's rotation would slow down globally, affecting the length of the day everywhere on the planet.

3. How much would the length of the day change if the polar ice caps melted?

The exact amount that the length of the day would change if the polar ice caps melted is difficult to predict, as it would depend on factors such as the rate of melting and the distribution of the melted water. However, studies have estimated that the change would be on the order of milliseconds, which is very small and likely not noticeable to most people.

4. Could melting polar ice caps cause a change in the Earth's rotation?

Yes, melting polar ice caps could cause a change in the Earth's rotation. As mentioned earlier, the melting of the ice caps would result in a redistribution of mass on the Earth's surface, which would affect the Earth's rotation. However, this change would be very small and not significant enough to cause major shifts in the Earth's rotation.

5. Is the length of the day already changing due to melting polar ice caps?

Currently, the length of the day is not significantly changing due to melting polar ice caps. While there have been slight changes in the Earth's rotation in recent years, these changes are mostly due to natural variations and not solely caused by melting ice caps. However, if the rate of ice melting were to increase significantly, it could have a more noticeable impact on the length of the day in the future.

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