[extropy-chat] Ice cores show warming 'natural' (or not)

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Alfio Puglisi
...
> >
> >
> > So that kind of global warming is a good thing, right?  spike
> 
> Who knows? If you want to avoid sea rise, Antarctica is a bad place to
> warm (tropical warming wouldn't melt much ice...)

I was thinking just the opposite.  If you warm the poles and the north
icecap melts, the earth can absorb an enormous amount of heat as the
floating ice goes thru a phase change without changing its own 
temperature.  Ice at 0 celcius goes to water at 0 celcius, 80 calories
are absorbed for each gram of ice.  

If on the other hand the tropics increased temperature even a few 
degrees, absorbing only one calorie for each gram degree C, the 
water would expand, raising the sea level.

If on the third hand, the South pole, as you have specified, has
a lot of ice that is supported by land and isn't floating, I
suppose that would raise sea levels.

Puzzling.

spike