document.write( "Question 407832: If the global climate were to warm \n" );
document.write( "significantly as a result of the greenhouse effect or \n" );
document.write( "other climatic change, the Arctic ice cap would start \n" );
document.write( "to melt. This ice cap contains the equivalent of some \n" );
document.write( "680,000 cubic miles of water. More than 200 million \n" );
document.write( "people live on land that is less than 3 feet above sea \n" );
document.write( "level. In the United States several large cities have \n" );
document.write( "low average elevations. Three examples are Boston \n" );
document.write( "(14 feet), New Orleans (4 feet), and San Diego (13 \n" );
document.write( "feet). In this exercise you are to estimate the rise in \n" );
document.write( "sea level if the Arctic ice cap were to melt and to \n" );
document.write( "determine whether this event would have a significant \n" );
document.write( "impact on people living in coastal areas.\r \n" );
document.write( "\n" );
document.write( "(a) The surface area of a sphere is given by the formula \n" );
document.write( "where r is its radius. Although the \n" );
document.write( "shape of Earth is not exactly spherical, it has an \n" );
document.write( "average radius of 3960 miles. Estimate the surface \n" );
document.write( "area of Earth. \n" );
document.write( "(b) Oceans cover approximately 71% of the total surface \n" );
document.write( "area of Earth. How many square miles of \n" );
document.write( "Earth’s surface are covered by oceans? \n" );
document.write( "(c) Approximate the potential rise in sea level by \n" );
document.write( "dividing the total volume of the water from the \n" );
document.write( "ice cap by the surface area of the oceans. Convert \n" );
document.write( "your answer from miles to feet. \n" );
document.write( "(d) Discuss the implications of your calculation. \n" );
document.write( "How would cities such as Boston, New Orleans, \n" );
document.write( "and San Diego be affected? \n" );
document.write( "(e) The Antarctic ice cap contains some 6,300,000 \n" );
document.write( "cubic miles of water. Estimate how much the sea \n" );
document.write( "level would rise if this ice cap melted. \n" );
document.write( "
![\"\"](\"/images/stars/iconNewId_16x16.gif\")
