Blinkist

Science -- A world without Ice

Level: Easy 1
A World without Ice
There are two key players in our planet's climate: ice and the greenhouse effect.

Ever thought about what life without ice would be like? For starters, it'd mean
(a) _____________________________ or drinks served on the rocks." But ice also has significance on a
global scale, which means its absence would have (b) _________________________________________
than you expect.

Ice has unique properties that make it (c) _________________________ in our planet's climate. As we
know, ice is just (d) ____________________________, or solid H2O in chemical terms. When most fluids
solidify, they usually contract. But not water. When water forms ice, (e)
____________________________. Ice has a lower density than water as a result, which is what allows it to
(f) ____________________________! There you have the mechanics of the iceberg.

Ice has another important property: reflectivity. If you've ever gotten sunburned after
(g) ____________________________, you'll understand this. And ice is not only capable of reflecting
sunlight onto our faces, but also (h) ____________________________.

This has a substantial influence on Earth's climate, as polar ice caps reflect a lot of warming sunlight away
from polar regions. So, when Arctic sea ice melts, (i) ________________________________________
______________________________________________________.

But there's yet another factor crucial to keeping our climate in check (j) ____________________________.
Earth's atmosphere comprises of (k) ________ percent nitrogen and oxygen. The remaining 1 percent of
other gases such as carbon dioxide and methane play an extraordinarily vital role: (l)
_____________________________________________________.

This creates a natural greenhouse effect, and Earth would be very different without it. Picture an Earth-sized
snowball that's (m) ______ °F colder than Earth, without any sign of human life: that's pretty much how
much the trouble we'd be in without that 1 percent.

Of course, you can have too much of a good thing. Today, we're facing a new kind of greenhouse effect: the
anthropogenic greenhouse effect, which is caused by (n) _________________________________
_________________ and the massive amounts of carbon dioxide emissions it causes. The anthropogenic
greenhouse effect is what's throwing (o) ____________________________________.

1
Blinkist
Science -- A world without Ice
Level: Easy 1
A World without Ice
Ever thought about what life without ice would be like? For starters, it'd mean no more ice hockey or drinks
served on the rocks." But ice also has significance on a global scale, which means its absence would have a
bigger impact than you might expect.

Ice has unique properties that make it a key player in our planet's climate. As we know, ice is just plain old
frozen water, or solid H2O in chemical terms. When most fluids solidify, they usually contract. But not
water. When water forms ice, it expands in volume. Ice has a lower density than water as a result, which is
what allows it to float without sinking! There you have the mechanics of the iceberg.

Ice has another important property: reflectivity. If you've ever gotten sunburned after a day of skiing, you'll
understand this. And ice is not only capable of reflecting sunlight onto our faces, but also back into space.

This has a substantial influence on Earth's climate, as polar ice caps reflect a lot of warming sunlight away
from polar regions. So, when Arctic sea ice melts, Earth becomes warmer because there's less ice to reflect
solar energy away.

But there's yet another factor crucial to keeping our climate in check: the greenhouse effect. Earth's
atmosphere comprises of 99 percent nitrogen and oxygen. The remaining 1 percent of other gases such as
carbon dioxide and methane play an extraordinarily vital role: preventing heat from escaping Earth's
atmosphere.

This creates a natural greenhouse effect, and Earth would be very different without it. Picture an Earth-sized
snowball that's 60°F colder than Earth, without any sign of human life: that's pretty much how much the
trouble we'd be in without that 1 percent.

Of course, you can have too much of a good thing. Today, we're facing a new kind of greenhouse effect: the
anthropogenic greenhouse effect, which is caused by the extensive burning of fossil fuels and the massive
amounts of carbon dioxide emissions it causes. The anthropogenic greenhouse effect is what's throwing
Earth's climate out of balance.