Posted on 01/29/2007 11:16:09 AM PST by cogitator
New data released Monday shows that the melting of mountain glaciers worldwide is accelerating, a clear sign that climate change is also picking up, the UN environmental agency and scientists said.
Thirty reference glaciers monitored by the Swiss-based World Glacier Monitoring Service lost about 66 centimetres (two feet) in thickness on average in 2005, the UN Environment Programme said in a statement.
"The new data confirms the trend in accelerated loss during the past two and a half decades," it added.
The set of glaciers located around the world have thinned by about 10.5 metres (34.6 feet) on average since 1980, according to the data supplied by the Monitoring Service in Zurich.
They melted on average about 1.6 times faster annually this decade compared with the 1990s, and about six times faster than in the 1980s.
The glacier surface area is also much smaller than in the 1980s, said Michael Zemp, a glaciologist at the Monitoring Service.
"The recent increase in the rates of ice loss over reducing glacier surface areas leaves no doubt about the accelerated change in climatic conditions," Zemp added.
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said: "The findings confirm the science of human-induced climate change." [My note: Actually, they don't do that at all. The measurements indicate that glaciers are melting at a faster rate, which is consistent with observed increase in the surface warming rate, and that is attributed to human-induced climate change mainly due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.]
Steiner said the data from glaciers provided "confirmation that will be further underlined when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change unveil their next report on February 2."
The world's top climate experts began a four-day meeting of the UN panel on Monday in Paris, where they are set to launch a long-awaited update about the scientific evidence for global warming later this week.
The melting of the mountain ice floes is expected to show up in 2006 data because it was one of the warmest years in many parts of the world, UNEP said.
"These findings should strengthen the resolve of governments to act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and put in place the medium to longer term strategies necessary to avert dangerous climate change," Steiner said.
The UN's environmental chief underlined the importance of glaciers for human life in many regions.
"Glaciers across the globe are important sources of water for many rivers -- rivers upon which people depend for drinking water, agriculture and industrial purposes," he said.
The preliminary 2005 data was based on readings from 30 of the 80 monitored glaciers, which have had continuous measurements since the 1980s.
The average annual ice loss since 2000, repeated in 2005, was about 0.6 metres of water equivalent, a scientific measurement used by glaciologists. On average, one metre water equivalent corresponds to ice about 1.1 metres thick, according to the statement.
Since most of Florida is under a freeze advisory, maybe the glaciers are just migrating there.
I understand that Mars is heating up too. Must be the presence of those pesky Mars Rovers.
'Reference Glaciers'? I wonder who picked those 30 for the reference, probably a guy who wanted to prove global warming. I hear that some parts of Antartica's Ice Cap are actually growing, and New Zealand had one of the coldest December's (their JUne) on record. Maybe the global warming on Mars and Pluto is a result of human activity too, after all we did send two SUV's up a few years ago to explore Mars.
Water vapour is by far and away the most important greenhouse gas, and we don't produce any of it. It completely dwarfs any CO2 effect
They could replace public transportation, thus less internal combustion engines, halting man-made global warming, pull only minorities to receive punishment for their White guilt, and take cars off the highways, thus making traffic better for all of us.
I would have better parking at work, less slackers dragging the companies bottom line down, and a more successful employer/employee.
>>>"The findings confirm the science of human-induced climate change." >>>
HUH? I can see how the findings confirm the climate change, but how can they PROVE it's HUMAN INDUCED.
So, those glaciers melting on Mars indicate man-made global warming, eh?
Oh, wait, it's not just glaciers, it's the whole Southern polar ice cap on Mars? And it's not mentioned because that little fact basically proves that so-called "global warming" isn't a planetary issue, but rather a solar system wide issue? Maybe because the sun is entering a more active phase?
I'm shocked, just SHOCKED, I tell you, that they didn't mention that...
Who the f*** cares about mountain glaciers? (Oh, right... the antarctic glaciers are growing...)
>> They melted on average about 1.6 times faster annually this decade compared with the 1990s, and about six times faster than in the 1980s. <<
So the rate of melt is stablizing...
Water vapour: feedback or forcing?
"When surface temperatures change (whether from CO2 or solar forcing or volcanos etc.), you can therefore expect water vapour to adjust quickly to reflect that. To first approximation, the water vapour adjusts to maintain constant relative humidity. It's important to point out that this is a result of the models, not a built-in assumption. Since approximately constant relative humidity implies an increase in specific humidity for an increase in air temperatures, the total amount of water vapour will increase adding to the greenhouse trapping of long-wave radiation. This is the famed 'water vapour feedback'. A closer look reveals that for a warming (in the GISS model at least) relative humidity increases slightly in the tropics, and decreases at mid latitudes."
If the Leftist blowhards at the UN would just STFU, the reduction in hot air would cause the earth's temperature very quickly to return to normal.
See link at post 4, please.
Getting rid of the UN would do more to renew hope for mankind.
sing: You'll be a dentist...
From the article you linked: "Thus inferring global warming from a 3 Martian year regional trend is unwarranted."
But they have no problem inferring man-made global warming from data that, compared to geological time, is just as short. Hmmm, I think I smell poor reasoning at best, and abject hypocrisy at worst. Kind of shocking -- who would expect poor reasoning or hypocrisy from the watermellon (green on outside, red on inside) global warming alarmists? /sarc
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