Unbelievable Optical Illusions: How Your Eyes Can Deceive You

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of rising sea levels and the impact of melting icebergs and oil extraction techniques on ocean water levels. Participants explore the relationship between submerged ice, floating ice, and the effects of replacing oil with water beneath the Earth's surface.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions why sea levels do not fall when oil is removed and replaced with water, suggesting that the volume of water involved may not be significant.
  • Another participant asserts that melting floating icebergs does not affect sea levels, emphasizing that the concern lies with glaciers and ice above sea level.
  • A different participant supports the idea that melting icebergs does not change water levels, referencing a personal experiment with ice cubes in a glass of water.
  • There is a reiteration of the claim that 95% of icebergs are submerged, leading to confusion about their contribution to rising sea levels.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the impact of melting icebergs on sea levels, with some agreeing that floating ice does not change water levels while others remain uncertain about the overall implications of ice melting and oil extraction.

Contextual Notes

Participants do not fully explore the assumptions behind their claims, such as the specific volumes of oil and water involved or the definitions of sea level changes. The discussion lacks resolution on the broader implications of melting ice and oil extraction.

jph31
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Something has been bothering me for a while...

when we are removing oil from below the surface of the Earth and replacing it with water then how comes the sea levels are not falling?,

In fact i don't get this whole issue of the seas rising?, 95% of icebergs are under water, if you removed an iceberg and melted it the volume of water would be less than of ice, surely again melting icebergs reduce the levels!
 
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jph31 said:
when we are removing oil from below the surface of the Earth and replacing it with water then how comes the sea levels are not falling?

I'm not sure how many oil wells use this technique, but I don't think the volume of water we're talking about is all that much.

jph31 said:
In fact i don't get this whole issue of the seas rising?, 95% of icebergs are under water, if you removed an iceberg and melted it the volume of water would be less than of ice, surely again melting icebergs reduce the levels!

Not quite. If you melt an iceberg that's floating in water, the water level shouldn't change. But icebergs aren't the issue with rising sea levels. It's ice that's above sea level that's the concern-- things like glaciers.

DaveE
 
jph31 said:
95% of icebergs are under water, if you removed an iceberg and melted it the volume of water would be less than of ice, surely again melting icebergs reduce the levels!


Melting icebergs doesn't change any levels!
Try it with an ice cube in a glass of water.
 
I tried melting ice cubes in a glass of water. Admittedly, the water level does not change as we usually thought.




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tease your eyes
 

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