Antarctic Ice Loss Jumps 75% in One Year!
The global warming Deniers (and the rest of us) just can't catch a break: Vast areas of the Antarctic ice sheet -- which has 10 times as much ice as Greenland -- is losing mass much faster than anyone expected. And the rate of ice loss has quickened in the last decade. In fact, 2007's ice loss was 75% higher than 2006's.
Jeez, it's almost like ... I don't know ... the whole friggin' planet is melting, and we are to blame! If only we had a group of scientists who would, like, report regularly on the impending catastrophe and explain to us how to avoid it....
As the Washington Post reports:
"Without doubt, Antarctica as a whole is now losing ice yearly, and each year it's losing more," said Eric Rignot, lead author of a paper published online in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Note to the Washington Post -- one of the many, many reasons traditional media are losing eyeballs to the blogosphere is that your embedded hyperlinks go bizarre places, rather than to, say, the study you are citing!
Here is the link to Nature's story on the article (note to Nature -- uhh, you folks could include a link to the actual study, too). And here, finally, is the link to the article, "Recent Antarctic ice mass loss from radar interferometry and regional climate modelling" by Eric Rignot et al. A subscription is required for the whole article, but the abstract is available:
Large uncertainties remain in the current and future contribution to sea level rise from Antarctica. Climate warming may increase snowfall in the continent's interior, but enhance glacier discharge at the coast where warmer air and ocean temperatures erode the buttressing ice shelves. Here, we use satellite interferometric synthetic-aperture radar observations from 1992 to 2006 covering 85% of Antarctica's coastline to estimate the total mass flux into the ocean. We compare the mass fluxes from large drainage basin units with interior snow accumulation calculated from a regional atmospheric climate model for 1980 to 2004. In East Antarctica, small glacier losses in Wilkes Land and glacier gains at the mouths of the Filchner and Ross ice shelves combine to a near-zero loss of 4 Gt yr-1. In West Antarctica, widespread losses along the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas increased the ice sheet loss by 59% in 10 years to reach 132 Gt yr-1 in 2006. In the Peninsula, losses increased by 140% to reach 60 Gt yr-1 in 2006. Losses are concentrated along narrow channels occupied by outlet glaciers and are caused by ongoing and past glacier acceleration. Changes in glacier flow therefore have a significant, if not dominant impact on ice sheet mass balance.
Just for the record, the loss of Greenland's ice sheet by itself could raise sea levels 20 feet. The West Antarctic ice sheet would add another 20 feet. How fast could it all happen? Pretty darn fast, just going by the last interglacial.
Anybody out there who still believes business-as-usual energy use won't result in multi-multi-meter sea level?
The time to act is now. If not sooner.
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ever tried to stop your icecubes from melting when the freezer breaks down?
'...a group of scientists who would, like, report regularly on the impending catastrophe and explain to us how to avoid it....' is a comforting but useless pipedream
regrettably, our global freezer is beyond repair and we are totally screwed
Hah, most americans believe in god and creationism. And you think you're going to get them to consider evidence about global warming and rising sea levels?! Bwhahhahhheehhh.
Maybe it's 'gods thermostat'. The population rises too fast, too far, each person radiates 250 BTU/HR, cumulative total human heat emissions PLUS ambient infrastruc
LOL
Glad you reported this. I had to watch China's news translated into English on C-Span late New Year's Day to know about this. MSM again fails the American people.
2000 questions to the candidates on the Sunday morning talk shows in 2007. Only 3 concerned global warming.
Even if you don't believe the reason is man made, isn't it odd that there is essentially no debate in the MSM?
http://www
I see the skeptics are flexing their sarcastic muscles over this. Makes sense to me that burning huge amounts of fossil fuel can affect the atmosphere. Maybe the skeptics are fearful that NASCAR races are at-risk when we start reducing warming gases.
Forget it. Not in America. Not in a country where half the people still believe in creationism, a fairy tale created by primitive savages who didn't know any better, 3000 years ago. And that's the way we like it here.
Get with the program. It's the American way. Ignorance and stupidity.
Just count the comments. The idiots outnumber us.
i wonder how many deniers shake in their boots at the global ramifications of a one percentage change in some economic index or another but can't figure this out. and imagine the economic ramifications of just reversing the gulf stream and plunging europe into an ice age?
maybe it's just another case of denial- nature is just too uncertain, too frightening. if it's not a simple black and white issue, if there are complications, unknowns, and uncertainties it's better to deny it because even contemplating it would be way too frightening.
deniers might want to consider all the opportunities, economic and otherwise instead of listening to the paid shills of the dinosaur industries that find it cheaper to hire geniuses like rush limbaugh to convince millions to deny the obvious than to actually help out.
Those on the right say it is OK if the polar ice cap melts. We can always clone polar bears.
Here's an interesting fix:
http://www
What I can't find is the link to an article recently by two atmosphere scientists finding significant changes in atmospheric layers causing localised heating of some surface areas.
We have oil and gas in Alaska BECAUSE the temperature of the Arctic Ocean was once 72 degrees. England had a thriving wine industry during the Renaissance-in fact, the fact that we were in a warm period helped the development of the Renaissance-longer summers, more food, more leisure time for art. Newfoundland was settled by the Vikings in the 10th century, again because there was the capability for sustainable agriculture because of the warm climate of the times. Hannibal invaded Europe by driving elephants over mountain passes in the Alps. These are all documented historical events. Also documented is the "Mini-Ice Age" of the 1600's, which we are just now emerging from, We have plenty of proof the earth was warmer in the past-we don't have proof to show how quickly the warmup occurred. Given the evolution tends to occur in spurts with the most successful genetic combination able to reproduce in the face of changes in niches, it makes sense that a driving force of niche change would be global temperature change and that it could happen at a relatively rapid rate of change. The sun is also attributed with anywhere from 35%-50% of the current temperature change on earth, so, if humans all died and stopped contributing to whatever they may be contributing to global warming, global warming would still occur. And, BTW, the polar bear has existed on this planet for over 50,000 years, so they've gone through a couple of ice age, warm earth patterns.
Ice age-average earth temp 42 degrees
Current average earth temp 52 degrees
Project average warm earth temp between averages=72 degrees.
So, see, we have a ways to go until we a re fully out of the last ice age...
But what do I know, I'm a biologist who reads history and loves meteorology and astronomy
Damned Antarcticans and their excessive pollution and energy consumption.
If anyone is truly serious about learning this subject, meet Bjorn:
http://en.
And read up as much as you can possibly absorb, which is very considerable, because in the end, what these people are trying to sell us is a 36 TRILLION DOLLAR TAX to try and save some 12 Trillion dollars worth of infrastructure, that isn't even under threat yet.
Remember that Worry is the Interest paid on a Debt that Never comes Due!
What needs to be TODAY. Anything less will lead to the total destruction of the planet.
>>Commercial airline travel will be rationed. Carriers will participate in a lottery for travel days. Carriers on off-days will ground all aircraft. There will no reservations for flights. If you want to fly, you will do so on a stand by, first come-first serve basis. Private aircraft can only fly after a "flight requisition" is applied for. A predetermined number of private aircraft will be allowed to fly in any 24 hour period. All violations will result in loss of aircraft.
>>Rolling blackouts will be planned throughout the country, which will be divided into 8 equal energy-use geographic areas. They will rotate on a schedule that will require each area to reduce their energy usage by 30% for a 48 hour period. Businesses will have energy limiters installed on their power lines to restrict usage. That will require businesses to restrict operating hours. Residential buildings will also have power restrictors installed. This will make home A/C prohibitive to use unless you have the money to buy the most efficient units.
>>Automobile use will be banned in all government
This Poster is just a Fear-Monger, hoping to terrorize people who are inclined to be Mush-Minds to begin with, Like Politicians!
While the Arctic Polar Ice did recede to record levels, it has since GROWN to record levels! Not only that, Global Warming wasn't the Cause of this ice melt, but instead was caused by a Phenomena known as "Pacific Decadal Oscillation", or otherwise known as warm ocean currents.
It would take another 165 Greenlands to fill up the current Ocean areas on our planet, and ALL OF THEM WOULD HAVE TO MELT OFF COMPLETELY FOR ANY KIND OF MEASURABLE AMOUNT OF SEA LEVEL RISE TO OCCUR!!!
But Don't believe just me or this Buffoon, do your own research and here is a link to a website that is a GREAT PLACE to START:
http://arc
Don't fall for the Lies and allow these people to enact a Global Taxation Scheme, that will absolutely kill our economy and not help one wit, on changing the Climate.
Worried about CO2? Plant a Tree or better yet, a flower garden!
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