Back on April 5th 2009 a “New York City” sized “chunk” of the Wilkins Ice Shelf (in Antarctica) broke off and floated away. That amounts to nearly 270 square miles of ice that dispersed.

However, don’t panic…this ice came from ice shelves that were already floating in the ocean (sea ice). That means the ice was already displacing the water. You should NOT expect the volume of water that this large amount of sea ice contains to make any substantial impact in rising sea levels.

Discover more: a few ice cubes and place them in an empty glass. Fill it to a desired level and mark the water level with tape or a marker. Wait for the ice to melt. And, bingo…that is a crude example of what generally takes place in the above event.

So, what are the greatest influences of rising ocean water levels? I am so glad you asked.

1. The retreat (melting) of land ice (glaciers) and
2. Thermal Expansion (water takes up more space as it gets warmer).

P.S. the impact this has on changing the ocean’s salinity is a good topic for another time.

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A recent poll at planet-u.com asked how often folks run the water while brushing their teeth. The results:

• 55% – said they use it only to moisten and rinse
• 30% – run the water the whole time
• 10% don’t use water during this particular oral hygiene practice

Only around 1% of the earth’s water is drinkable. So it is no wonder why water conservation, as a whole, is a big deal. Congrats to the folks that use it sparingly in daily tasks like brushing teeth (at the least, Dentists feel it’s important to do daily).

I can sure spout out a bunch of ways of conserving water. But in this post I thought I’d soak up your suggestions. So, what are your ideas for water conservation?

A single faucet dripping 5 times a minute can add up to you paying for an additional 231 gallons of water per year. If a million households did that it would save 231,439,894 gallons of water per year.

I’d love to have you participate in the next poll. Check it out on the right side of the page here: planet-u.com

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O.k., I have no scientific proof of that calculation in the title. But, after you read this you may start to wonder if my estimate was a bit low with respect to the amount of plastic in our oceans.

There really is a place in the Pacific Ocean where you can see floating plastic at counts reaching a million pieces per square mile. Yes, it’s real. You betcha!

The Pacific Ocean is host to what some refer to as the “Garbage Patch”. That may sound “cute” to some, but it’s a horrible, massive blob of trash including discarded fishing nets, plastic bottles, caps, and containers, even items you may not think about like tooth brushes, combs, and even computer monitors.

• Why does it gather in that location? That’s where the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre is located. A gyre is a spiraling collection of currents. And, in the North Pacific, you have some powerful currents converging.
• What else makes it collect in that manner? A phenomenon called Langmuir Circulation. It’s when two masses of water push together. You have likely seen this in action if you have ever seen long, organized streaks of sea foam or perhaps seaweed on the water’s surface. During this process, anything that floats stays on the surface.

I highly recommend the following article on the topic.

Why you will make a difference: Whether you are walking on the beach or fishing, take proactive action the next time you see trash. You help the environment by picking it up and disposing/recycling it appropriately before it can be carried away and cause harm. You may be helping protect property too…ever know someone who got fishing line, or other stuff, caught in their boat prop? Not fun.

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