evidence: The answer: There is a common misconception that sea level change comes only from ice attached to land, and not from floating sea ice. Although that is mostly true, it turns out that there is an effect, even if it is minor. [...] "The effect of water going into the ocean or fresh water going into the ocean is not just on sea level," he said. "It also changes the stratification; it also changes potentially the carbon dioxide uptake and the temperature trends." [...] These factors should be included in the broader discussion of sea level, he said, and he hopes new climate models will reflect the details of ocean-ice shelf interactions, particularly in Antarctica.