What If Ice Did Not Float? Chemist Martyn Poliakoff Explores Question In New VIDEO

WATCH: What Would Happen If Ice Didn't Float?

What would the world be like if ice didn't float on water?

"If you put ice cubes into a drink and they sink to the bottom, you'd end up with a warm drink, and that would be a social disaster," Dr. Martyn Poliakoff, chemistry professor and Einstein look-alike, explains in the video above, The University Of Nottingham's nod to this year's Geek Week.

More seriously, though, sinking ice would have some pretty surprising effects on the entire planet. For one thing, according to Dr. Poliakoff, the planet would be much warmer than it is now.

"When the sea freezes and forms sea ice, this reflects back a lot of the radiation from the sun," he says in the video. "And particularly in areas like the Arctic, in summer, where it's daylight 24 hours a day, the reflection of the sun's radiation by sea ice is really quite significant."

And that's only one of many effects--watch the video to hear the others.

For more fun chemistry videos, check out the university's series, "The Periodic Table Of Elements."

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