The Bottom of the Ocean Is Sinking

Not only under the Great Lakes, but all through the North Central States, the rocky ground is "rebounding", after the ice melted. Not much, but it's been going on for a very long time. And it probably will keep going on, until the next ice sheet stops this rebounding and it starts to sink under that future Ice's weight, again.

originally posted by: Skywatcher2011
The Bottom of the Ocean Is Sinking
www.livescience.com...

Satellite data enables scientists to map the seafloor, which is sinking under the weight of rising seas. (This map shows gravity anomalies in the western Indian Ocean. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

The bottom of the ocean is more of a "sunken place" than it used to be.

In recent decades, melting ice sheets and glaciers driven by climate change are swelling Earth's oceans. And along with all that water comes an unexpected consequence — the weight of the additional liquid is pressing down on the seafloor, causing it to sink.

Scientists have long known that Earth's crust, or outer layer, is elastic: Earlier research revealed how Earth's surface warps in response to tidal movements that redistribute masses of water; and 2017's Hurricane Harvey dumped so much water on Texas that the ground dropped 0.8 inches (2 centimeters), the Atlantic reported.

So this is interesting...who would have thought that rising sea levels would mean that more weight was put on Earth's crust? I don't know about you but I think this redistribution of weight has an effect on everything. But for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. I am no scientist but my question is what do this kind of ocean compression mean in the big picture of things?

I'm thinking.... the Earth is like a giant pimple. Squeeze it and its going to explode....

Prognosis: All our seas are going to be sucked into the Earth's core.

Diagnosis: Death.

Interesting, that going to push the Cascadia subduction zone's Jaun de Fuca Plate further down, which is already slipping under the N. American plate. Wonder if that will impact the coast into Puget Sound even more-besides the climate change warnings of flooding 4 ft. plus- as it's said the Sound area is below sea level as it is due to the volcanic activity that gave rise to the Olympic Mountains.

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

Don't worry... The melting ice cap on Antarctica means that pressure is being relieved there. It all balances out.

that means the earth should be pushing up in other areas

a reply to: rnaa

ooooo, that may make a lot of sense, maybe that's why the ice is cracking there

just realized that

originally posted by: Painterz

originally posted by: WUNK22
I personally don’t care one bit! When I was a kid we where all doomed with the coming ice age. Then black holes, then nuclear wars and the USSR, then killer meteors, then global warming, oh I forgot Y2K. I’ve got to get to work, the leaches need my tax dollars, enjoy..

We were also doomed because we'd never be able to grow enough food to feed 7 billion. But then food scientists solved the problem and here we are.

We were doomed because of Y2K, but hundreds of thousands of programmers worked very hard to soothe out any problems and in the end it passed without major incident.

We are doomed when AIDS arose, but thanks to the hard work of virologists, the virus is more or less under control now.


It's great that you personally weren't worried, but other people were, and solved problems before they became emergencies.

I remember when every one was woried that Japan would buy America.

www.google.com...

a reply to: toysforadults

There is more nuance than that.

The idea that the sea floor is sinking due to more water in the ocean is actually quite silly.

In some areas the sea floor is indeed 'sinking' - it is called a "subduction zone" and it is due to continental drift mechanism.

More water in the ocean, if it increased pressure on the crust, would be doing it all over all the oceans at the same time, for a net effect of zero. Similarly, you cannot break an egg if you apply even pressure all around it.

Impossible Egg Crush

On the other hand, the Antarctic Continent is absolutely being pressed down by the weight of the ice. If Antarctica melted all together, not only would the ocean rise because of the added water, but the Continent would 'rebound', its shoreline would increase as submerged areas rose, and the result would be a smaller ocean area. So more water in a smaller vessel = sea level rise.

Another interesting thread, thank you all.

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

Wow... So i am guessing this study completely ignored the several seismic events which have transformed that part of the oceans such as the 2004 earthquake in the Indian ocean which changed the ocean floor to the point that we had at least one submarine crash because of those changes in the ocean floor...

BTW...here...

...
Models predict that the earthquake should have affected rotation of the earth by shortening the length of a day by about three microseconds, or three millionths of a second. This happens because during the earthquake one of the tectonic plates [the India plate] subducted down beneath another plate [the Burma plate]. The downward mass movement of the plate changed the earth's rotation just like a spinning ice skater bringing her arms closer to her body increases her rotation. When the earth spins faster, the days are shorter.
...

www.scientificamerican.com...

i wonder what the "downward mass movement of the plate" in that region do to cause the surface of the ocean?... Maybe it would cause it to sink?... Anyone here doesn't think that "downward movements of the plate" would not cause that region to sink deeper?...

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

i wonder what the "downward mass movement of the plate" in that region do to cause the surface of the ocean?... Maybe it would cause it to sink?...

Huh? Are you suggesting that there would be a 'dip' in the ocean surface?

Anyone here doesn't think that "downward movements of the plate" would not cause that region to sink deeper?...

Double Huh?

a reply to: ElectricUniverse

Wow... So i am guessing this study completely ignored the several seismic events which have transformed that part of the oceans such as the 2004 earthquake in the Indian ocean which changed the ocean floor to the point that we had at least one submarine crash because of those changes in the ocean floor...

That just didn't happen the way you describe.

The USS San Francisco ran into a seamount that was not on their chart. The seamount was not "created" by the earthquake, it was there all along. The area was relatively poorly charted, but the Navy had charts that indicated the presence of the sea mount - but the San Francisco didn't have that chart. Submarines actually run relatively blind - they depend almost totally on their charts to know whats around them.

For sure earthquakes change the shape of the ocean floor, just like they change the shape of the land surface. But they don't throw up sea mounts over night.

a reply to: Skywatcher2011

Reportedly Scotland is still rising following the retreat of glaciation after the last ice age in an effect known as post-glacial rebound , the Earth crust is known to be elastic so I'm not sure there will be a knock on effect other than the shifting of Magma perhaps , will that result in more Volcanic eruptions or Earthquakes ? , IDK.

originally posted by: tom farnhill
a reply to: Skywatcher2011

i would not worry too much , in the uk ever since the last ice age began to melt Scotland has been rising and the south of England has been sinking , that is one of the reasons that the thames barrier was built .

I guess Hank Johnson was right then. We all laughed when he said adding more military personnel to Guam... "My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize".
Hank has been redeemed

a reply to: LogicalGraphitti

Hank could well be onto something.

It has been well known since the 1970's that New Jersey is sinking due to all the National Geographic Magazines stored in people's garages.

Edit: not just New Jersey - we is doomed! DOOMED I SAY!

National Geographic, the Doomsday Machine

According to current subscription figures, more than 6,869,797 issues of the National Geographic magazine are sent to subscribers monthly throughout the world. However, it would be safe to say that the bulk of these magazines reach subscribers in the United States and Canada, and it is, and never has been, thrown away! It is saved like a monthly edition of the Bible. The magazine has been published for over 141 years continuously, and countless millions if not billions of copies have been innocently yet relentlessly accumulating in basements, attics, garages, public and private institutions of learning, the Library of Congress, Smithsonian Institution, Good Will, and Salvation Army stores, and heaven knows where else. Never discarded, always saved. No recycling, just the horrible and relentless accumulation of this static vehicle of our doom!

National Geographic averages approximately 2 pounds per issue. Since no copies have been discarded or destroyed since the beginning of publication, it can be readily seen that the accumulated aggregate weight is a figure that not only boggles the mind, but is imminently approaching the disaster point. That point will be the time at which the geologic substructure of the country can no longer support the incredible load, and subsidence will occur. Gradually at first, but then relentlessly accelerating as rock formations are compressed, become plastic and begin to flow, great faults will appear.

The logical sequence of events is predictable. First will come foundation failures and gradual sinking of residences and public buildings in which the magazine has been stored. As these areas depress the earth, more and more structures will topple and sink until whole towns and cities will submerge, then larger and larger land masses. This chain reaction will accelerate until the entire country has fallen below the level of the sea and total inundation will occur.

The areas of higher subscription density, affluence and wealth, will be the first to go, followed by institutions, middle class, urban, and ghetto areas in that order, with the relatively unpopulated plains and mountains finally sinking into the sea.

We have been warned of this impending calamity by a seeming increase in so-called natural disasters throughout the country, as well as isolated occurrences striking areas heretofore immune to natural destruction:

• Increase in earthquake activity in California has been triggered by population growth and the subsequent increase in National Geographic subscriptions and accumulations of heavy masses of the magazine. This gradual increase in weight has caused increased activity along the San Andreas fault.
  
• Earthquakes in the Denver area were not caused by pumping of wastes into wells at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, but by accumulation of National Geographic magazines by more and more people as the population increased over the years.
  
• Sinking of several coal-mining towns throughout the country can only be attributed to the increase in workers benefits and pay increases, allowing them to subscribe to and hoard National Geographic.
  
• Mud slides in California, which have brought destruction to hundreds of homes built on the hillsides, were triggered by the final straw in the form of the last delivery into these areas of National Geographic to subscribers and hoarders.

The list is endless. The warnings are clear.