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Study raises concerns over big, rapidly thinning Antarctic glacier
CNN ^ | March 18, 2015 | Jethro Mullen

Posted on 03/18/2015 9:40:28 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)

Scientists have raised concerns about a large, rapidly thinning glacier in Antarctica, warning it could contribute significantly to rising sea levels.

They say they've discovered two openings that could channel warm seawater to the base of the huge Totten Glacier and bring the threat of potentially disastrous melting.

The glacier is bigger and thinning faster than all the others in East Antarctica.

It contains enough ice to raise the global sea level by at least 11 feet (3.4 meters), according to researchers from the University of Texas at Austin who were among the authors of a new study published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Scientists had previously detected warm water on the seaward side of the glacier. But until now, they had found no evidence that it could threaten coastal ice.

"We now know there are avenues for the warmest waters in East Antarctica to access the most sensitive areas of Totten Glacier," said Jamin Greenbaum, a University of Texas Ph.D. candidate and the lead author of the study....

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: antarctica; climatechange; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; oceans; tottenglacier
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To: Paladin2

“But who is to regulate Polar Bear BBQs of pengiuns?”

I surely hope the Polar Bears use solar heat based BBQs or they’ll be in big trouble with Algore.


21 posted on 03/18/2015 10:19:22 PM PDT by Rembrandt (Part of the 51% who pay Federal taxes)
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To: kaehurowing

President U.S. Grant said that Venice would be quite livable “if drained”.


22 posted on 03/18/2015 10:19:59 PM PDT by Monterrosa-24 (...even more American than a French bikini and a Russian AK-47.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
It is summer in Antarctica. Things melt in the summer.

What a bunch of crap.

23 posted on 03/18/2015 10:20:58 PM PDT by Slyfox (I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever)
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To: Rembrandt

I’d suggest reading Kabloona.


24 posted on 03/18/2015 10:24:23 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
...Jamin Greenbaum, a University of Texas Ph.D. candidate and the lead author of the study....

Some guy with a made-up name who hasn't even earned his degree yet is the lead author. Right.

25 posted on 03/18/2015 10:24:24 PM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
No, I think we should first ban any non-scheduled jet flight with fewer than 55 passengers, excluding all crew and related staff. Then we should ban all passenger vehicles serving fewer than 5 passengers, excluding the driver and any related staff that exceeds 5,000 pounds...

Want to bet that liberals in government suddenly stop blaming fossil fuels once their nifty rides are taken away?

26 posted on 03/18/2015 10:26:11 PM PDT by kingu (Everything starts with slashing the size and scope of the federal government.)
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To: bigbob

27 posted on 03/18/2015 10:28:56 PM PDT by Mad Dawgg (If you're going to deny my 1st Amendment rights then I must proceed to the 2nd one...)
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To: oldbrowser

Raise the sea level by 11 feet??? Preposterous! Do these clowns have any idea how large the sea area is, and how to do simple arithmetic?


28 posted on 03/18/2015 10:35:23 PM PDT by punchamullah
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

I’m rooting for a 230 foot rise. That will give me prime seashore property.


29 posted on 03/18/2015 10:38:56 PM PDT by Born to Conserve
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To: Paladin2

>>>But who is to regulate Polar Bear BBQs of pengiuns?<<<

The problem lies with all the CO2 that will be produced when we have to Fly all the Polar Bears from their Home in the Arctic to the Antarctic where the Penguins live.

Do you suppose Obama will let them use AF1?


30 posted on 03/18/2015 10:47:15 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Advertising Space Available here.)
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To: Kickass Conservative

I’m sure the first wookie would like to açompamy the first illegal immigrants.


31 posted on 03/18/2015 10:49:51 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Paladin2

“I’d suggest reading Kabloona.”

I’ll put it on the list after the other 17 books I want to read. Another 17 books may sneak into the list above Kabloona.


32 posted on 03/18/2015 10:50:01 PM PDT by Rembrandt (Part of the 51% who pay Federal taxes)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

More glo-baloney...


33 posted on 03/18/2015 10:51:40 PM PDT by Skybird
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The glacier is bigger and thinning faster than all the others in East Antarctica. It contains enough ice to raise the global sea level by at least 11 feet (3.4 meters), according to researchers from the University of Texas at Austin

This tripped my bogometer. Let's do the back-of-the-envelope calculation here...

Surface area of the world's oceans: 357,000,000 km^2.

What is the volume of the Totten Glacier? Wikipedia claims it is 538,000 km^2 (which seems high to me, but let's use it anyway). Assume 5.38x10^5. Ratio is 664-to-1. So to raise the ocean by 3.4 meters would require that the glacier be at least 664*3.4 = 2,250 meters deep. Actually since ice is only 91% as dense as water the glacier needs to be 2473 meters high.

 

And this glacier must somehow melt completely and all of that melt must somehow get dumped into the ocean (forgetting whatever ridges or mountain ranges are in the way.) And remember it needs to be subtracted from the height of the crust underneath it that is itself already well above sea level.

The article is bullshit.

34 posted on 03/18/2015 10:57:33 PM PDT by Gideon7
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To: Gideon7

s/volume/area/


35 posted on 03/18/2015 10:58:01 PM PDT by Gideon7
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
According to satellite imagery, in 2014 the extent of the Antarctic ice was at an all-time high.

 

Source: http://earthsky.org/earth/while-arctic-sea-ice-declines-in-2014-antarctic-sea-ice-increases

36 posted on 03/18/2015 11:07:28 PM PDT by Gideon7
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To: Gideon7
Yes. One of the things that bother me the most about global warming alarmists is that they talk about ALL of Antarctic ice melting.

I'd wager that even a 2 degree over a century rise in temperatures wouldn't make a friggin DENT in the Antarctic.

Now if you took a thousand degree blowtorch to Antarctica, we'd have something to talk about.

But that won't happen until the sun turns red giant.

In about a billion years.

37 posted on 03/18/2015 11:09:09 PM PDT by boop (Hey, stoop, that's got gears. It ain't no Ford.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

They should charter a ship to study it later this year. When it gets iced in this time, they should not be rescued.


38 posted on 03/18/2015 11:32:17 PM PDT by jospehm20
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Umm... Isn’t that the one with the volcano under it??


39 posted on 03/18/2015 11:34:53 PM PDT by NoCmpromiz (John 14:6 is a non-pluralistic comment.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"University of Texas at Austin".

No need to read further. Austin is the Berkeley of Texas. It doesn't get any more socialist.

40 posted on 03/19/2015 12:19:45 AM PDT by A Navy Vet (An Oath is Forever)
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