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Article: Glaciers, Ice Sheets, and Climate Change
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- Water:Science and Issues
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Glaciers, Ice Sheets, and Climate Change
Glaciers
and
ice sheets
both affect and are affected by changes in Earth's climate. They are frozen fresh-water reservoirs that change volume in response to changes in temperature and snowfall. Were the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica to melt entirely, global sea level would rise about 75 meters (250 feet). Those great polar ice sheets also contribute to the formation of cold, salty sea water that sinks to fill the deep ocean. When the ice forms, it uses only water; the dissolved salts are left behind, increasing the water's salinity. And ice and snow play a role in the global energy balance by reflecting from 60 to 90 percent of the ...