[SIDENET]

The fact that recent changes to Greenland's ice sheet mirror its behavior nearly 70 years ago is increasing researchers' confidence and alarm as to what the future holds.

WTF?

Recent warming around the frozen island actually lags behind the global average warming pattern by about 1-2 degrees C but if it fell into synch with global temperatures in a few years, the massive ice sheet might pass its “threshold of viability” – a tipping point where the loss of ice couldn't be stopped.

Okay, so this place doesn't even fit the GW mold, but "if it fell into synch", we are all hosed?

Again, WTF?

[muawiyah]

The local data is probably pretty good for the handful of weather stations they looked at. What we don't know is what the Global surface temperature is now, or what it was last year, or the year before, or the year before.

The system used to measure temperature kind of fell into some serious disrepair (check all the FreeRepublic stories over the last 6 months about weather stations ~ just incredible stuff).

I don't know whether to worry, or say, "Hey, another 70 year cycle, and what does that mean?"