Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Part 1: Global Warming and Sea Level Change READ TO THE END before responding

Thermal expansion of ocean water.
podrock — (archived)

I think you have to consider the time factor into your calculations of thermal expansion of ocean water. Climate change with a positive delta T would influnce the surface (top 100 meters?) of the oceans. In order to get the whole of the water column to increase by that delta T would require a period of time for oceanic circulation to equalize the temperature. Longer than the time frame at question.

If the circulation shuts down due to the influence of freshwater from glacial melt, as some have modeled, the mixing of the top and bottom waters would cease, or at least change. This would hamper the increase of the whole of the water column increasing in temperature. This would make the surface water heat up more, so that will expand more, complicating the model a bit ...

Was the calculation based upon the expansion of water verses Temperature, or saline water? Is there a difference? Does this expansion factor have a variable for confining pressure? (does water at the bottom expand at the same rate verses temp than water at the surface?)

Thermal expansion of ocean water as a result of a warming atmosphere is not a big concern, in my opinion.

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