Antarctica Ice Mass Calculation

Estimating the Mass of Ice in Antarctica

Antarctica, almost completely covered in ice, has an area of 5,500,000 mi2 with an average height of 7500 ft. Without the ice, the height would only be 1500 ft. Let's estimate the mass of this ice:

Answer: The mass of ice is 2.39 x 10^22 g

Explanation:

We are given:

Area of Antarctica = 5,500,000 mi^2 = 5,500,000 x 2.59 x 10^10 = 142.45 x 10^15 cm^2

(Conversion factor: 1 mi^2 = 2.59 x 10^10 cm^2)

Height of Antarctica with ice = 7500 ft.

Height of Antarctica without ice = 1500 ft.

Height of ice = 7500 - 1500 = 6000 ft = 182.88 x 10^3 cm

(Conversion factor: 1 ft = 30.48 cm)

To calculate the mass of ice, we use the equation:

Density of a substance = Mass of a substance / Volume of a substance

We are given:

Density of ice = 0.917 g/cm^3

Volume of ice = Area x Height of ice = 142.45 x 10^15 cm^2 x 182.88 x 10^3 cm = 26051.26 x 10^18 cm^3

Putting values in the above equation, we get:

0.917 g/cm^3 = Mass of ice / 26051.26 x 10^18 cm^3

Mass of ice = 0.917 g/cm^3 x 26051.26 x 10^18 cm^3 = 2.39 x 10^22 g

Hence, the mass of ice is 2.39 x 10^22 g

Estimate the mass of ice in Antarctica based on the given data and calculations.

The estimated mass of ice in Antarctica is 2.39 x 10^22 grams.