time2lose@lemmy.worldBanned to Not The Onion@lemmy.worldEnglish · 2 months agoClimbers are melting Everest’s glacier with their urine, study warnswww.the-independent.comexternal-linkmessage-square30linkfedilinkarrow-up1235arrow-down114
arrow-up1221arrow-down1external-linkClimbers are melting Everest’s glacier with their urine, study warnswww.the-independent.comtime2lose@lemmy.worldBanned to Not The Onion@lemmy.worldEnglish · 2 months agomessage-square30linkfedilink
minus-squareevasive_chimpanzee@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up6·2 months agoNot exactly. The specific heat of ice is about half of the specific heat of water. So 6 tonnes of urine at 37°C would take 12 tonnes of ice from -37°C to 0°C. That’s still ice, though, and it takes way more energy to thaw ice that to warm ice from -37 to 0. Actually, I’ll just do the math. 6 Mg piss * 37°C * 4.18 J/g°C = 929 MJ Let’s say ambient ice temp is -20°C. 20°C * 2.05 J/g°C * X + 333.55 J/g * X = 929 MJ X ~2.5 tonnes of ice melted. Not too bad. I suspect the change in albedo is the real problem.
minus-squareFuglyDuck@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up1·2 months agoSo you’re saying they need to hydrate better?
minus-squarerain_enjoyer@sopuli.xyzlinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up1·2 months agonot that it changes math much, but at that piss to ice ratio melting point is about -3C
Not exactly. The specific heat of ice is about half of the specific heat of water.
So 6 tonnes of urine at 37°C would take 12 tonnes of ice from -37°C to 0°C.
That’s still ice, though, and it takes way more energy to thaw ice that to warm ice from -37 to 0.
Actually, I’ll just do the math.
6 Mg piss * 37°C * 4.18 J/g°C = 929 MJ
Let’s say ambient ice temp is -20°C.
20°C * 2.05 J/g°C * X + 333.55 J/g * X = 929 MJ
X ~2.5 tonnes of ice melted.
Not too bad. I suspect the change in albedo is the real problem.
So you’re saying they need to hydrate better?
not that it changes math much, but at that piss to ice ratio melting point is about -3C