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Does global warming cause oceans to evaporate?


gib65

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I'm familiar with the prediction that global warming is melting the polar ice caps and glaciers around the world causing the oceans to rise. But wouldn't global warming also cause the oceans to evaporate by a certain degree, thereby off setting the rise in ocean levels? When scientists make predictions about how much ocean levels will rise, do they take into account rates of evaporation?

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18 hours ago, gib65 said:

I'm familiar with the prediction that global warming is melting the polar ice caps and glaciers around the world causing the oceans to rise. But wouldn't global warming also cause the oceans to evaporate by a certain degree, thereby off setting the rise in ocean levels? When scientists make predictions about how much ocean levels will rise, do they take into account rates of evaporation?

Oceans evaporate, but there’s also rain, so there is a limit to this effect. 

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19 hours ago, gib65 said:

But wouldn't global warming also cause the oceans to evaporate by a certain degree, thereby off setting the rise in ocean levels? When scientists make predictions about how much ocean levels will rise, do they take into account rates of evaporation?

 

A rise in the total atmospheric water vapor content due to warmer air holding more water vapour is being monitored and is occurring but relative to ocean volume it isn't nearly enough to counter the effects of warming on sea levels. A doubling of atmospheric vapor would be about 25mm of sea level, at current rates of change maybe 5 years worth, but that much increase hasn't happened and isn't expected. If anything increase in water vapor is happening slower than expected.

But the most significant effect in climate change terms is the water vapor feedback, that effectively amplifies the warming from other causes - because water vapor is a greenhouse gas and warmer air takes up and holds more of it. A bit of warming increases water vapor content and that causes more warming.

Edited by Ken Fabian
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