Breakdown of Wie du weißt, steigt die Temperatur, folglich schmilzt das Eis.
du
you (informal singular)
wissen
to know (a fact)
wie
as (in comparisons)
das Eis
the ice
Questions & Answers about Wie du weißt, steigt die Temperatur, folglich schmilzt das Eis.
Why does the verb schmilzt come immediately after folglich?
folglich is an adverbial connector meaning consequently or therefore. Unlike coordinating conjunctions like und or aber which do not take up a position, adverbial connectors occupy position one in the clause. To maintain the strict Verb-Second (V2) rule, the verb schmilzt must be in position two.
Why is the verb steigt placed before its subject die Temperatur?
The sentence starts with the subordinate clause Wie du weißt (As you know). In German, an opening subordinate clause occupies position one of the overall sentence. To satisfy the V2 rule for the main clause, the verb steigt must immediately follow the comma.
Could I write this as two separate sentences?
Yes, because folglich introduces an independent main clause. You could easily write: Wie du weißt, steigt die Temperatur. Folglich schmilzt das Eis. Using a comma is just a stylistic choice to more closely link the cause and effect.
Can I swap folglich with infolgedessen or demzufolge?
Yes, all three are consecutive adverbial connectors that express a consequence. They are essentially interchangeable here and follow the exact same V2 word order rules, for example: ...infolgedessen schmilzt das Eis.