Question

Which of the following would most likely occur in the hydrosphere if the ice caps melted?

A. A decrease in the percent of the earth covered by the oceans.

B. A change in the salinity of the oceans in the hydrosphere.

C. An increase in the percent of the frozen water in the hydrosphere.

D. Increase in the total amount of water in all states (Solid, liquid, and gas) in the hydrosphere

Answer 1

B. Melting ice caps would add large amounts of freshwater to the oceans, diluting them and changing ocean salinity.

(A is wrong — ocean coverage would increase, not decrease; C is wrong — frozen water would decrease; D is wrong — the total amount of water in the hydrosphere stays essentially the same, only its state changes.)