As Alaska Glaciers Melt, It’s Land That’s Rising

New York Times ^ | May 17, 2009 | Cornelia Dean

[Lorianne]

The sea level in Juneau is actually falling very rapidly:

"JUNEAU, Alaska — Global warming conjures images of rising seas that threaten coastal areas. But in Juneau, as almost nowhere else in the world, climate change is having the opposite effect: As the glaciers here melt, the land is rising, causing the sea to retreat. ___ Relative to the sea, land here has risen as much as 10 feet in little more than 200 years, according to the 2007 report. As global warming accelerates, the land will continue to rise, perhaps 3 more feet by 2100, scientists say."

[EVO X]

The Canadian shield has been rising since the ice age. I believe its risen some 2000 feet.

According to scientific articles, the Great Lakes are on the boundary of the glacial rebound zone. The northern shores are still rising while the southern shores are sinking. Fascinating stuff..

[cripplecreek]

Lots of stuff going on there really. The southern shore has some tall water eroded cliffs which would seem to indicate the opposite but all is not as it appears there.

[dainbramaged]

“So if I buy beachfront property in Juneau, and my front yard expands 10 feet, is that 10 feet mine to keep?”
Absolutely - it’s called an accretion claim and is filed with the state DNR division, requires a survey and some paperwork.

[Nateman]

As others have already mentioned it’s rising because once the glacier that covered the North melted, the land underneath , no longer pushed down by the weight of the glacier ,is slowly rising again. The global warming that ended that ice age is a good thing!

[Slyfox]

There weren’t as many cars 2,000,000 years ago, and they weren't terrible polluters.

[EVO X]

Lots of stuff going on there really

Ditto that..

[Nuc1]

Yes.

[adorno]

As Alaska Glaciers Melt, It’s Land That’s Rising

So, what happens to land areas where Glaciers are growing or coming back? Do the sea levels around them rise? If that's the case, then growing Glaciers cause sea level to rise, and melting Glaciers cause sea levels to rise. Catch 22 in climate change.

But, if land areas are growing in Alaska as a result of melting ice/snow, shouldn't people the world over be wishing for more global warming so we can get more land?

Now, if the global warming scaremongers are right and melting Glaciers and melting polar ice will cause sea levels to rise, why are they discounting the gain in land areas from the mountains and areas where the ice and snow are disappearing? So, while there might be rising sea levels in some areas, the world makes it up with the newly exposed land areas where the ice and snow used to be.

[ToTheMax]

Blame it on Palin!

[ToKillaMockingbird]

“In and around Juneau, “you can walk around and see what was underwater is turning into grassland and eventually into forest,” Dr. Hood said.”

Wouldn’t that be a good thing since we need more trees to help absorb all the carbon dioxide we filthy humans expell? You just can’t make them happy.