Global Anthropogenic Heat as Source of Ices Disappearance; Consequences
for the Future of Earth and Humanity
Abstract
The heat energy necessary to melt the recently reported 28 trillions
tonnes of ices disappeared between 1994 and 2017 was estimated. This
heat energy was compared to an estimate of anthropogenic heat energy
released in the world during the same period. Both heat energies being
of the same order of magnitude, it was concluded that anthropogenic heat
energy was sufficient to have caused the melting of a large part of the
disappeared ices. Ice melting was not the only source of anthropogenic
heat absorption. It is shown that interphase equilibria between
ice-liquid-vapour physical forms of water acted as thermal buffers. If
more and more anthropogenic heat has to be absorbed in the future,
interphase equilibria will move water from ices and liquid to vapour and
clouds. In parallel, atmosphere and ocean turbulences that contribute in
dispatching solar heat over the world should be enhanced because of the
extra heat to manage. The role assigned to anthropogenic heat and water
interphase equilibria will be confirmed if ices continue to disappear
increasingly while global CO2 production decreases as
expected in the future.