Ice on land mass melting into ocean, due to global warming, is estimated to be around 1.3 10¹⁵ kg per year. The density of sea water is 1025 kg m ⁻³ . Assuming that the melting rate of ice remains constant and the effective surface area covered by the oceans is 3.6 10¹⁴ m ^2 , the estimated average rise in sea level (in m) in the next 75 years will be closest to

Step-by-step solution

Total mass of ice melted in 75 years is given by: M = 1.3 10¹⁵ 75 = 97.5 10¹⁵ kg The volume of sea water added to the oceans is: V = M = 97.5 10¹⁵ 1025 m ^3 The average rise in sea level is the volume added divided by the effective surface area of the oceans: h = V A = 97.5 10¹⁵ 1025 3.6 10¹⁴ h = 975 3690 0.264 m The estimated average rise in sea level is closest to 0.25 m. Answer: 0.25