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Study: Falling Icebergs Harming Ecosystem
Web India 123 ^ | 07.19.2008 | UPI

Posted on 07/19/2008 10:17:16 AM PDT by Coffee200am

Scientists in Britain have discovered a new global warming threat to marine life in Antarctica -- breakaway icebergs that destroy any life in their path.

Shallow habitats of species such as giant sea spiders, Antarctic worms, sea urchins and corals face growing risk from icebergs as they tear up the sea floor, The Times of London reported Friday.

The findings indicate climate change risks go beyond rising ocean temperatures, the British Antarctic Survey team said. Although near-shore ecosystems routinely take a pounding by icebergs, the destruction rate is rising as a warmer climate shrinks the winter sea ice that otherwise contain the icebergs.

The whole balance of the ecosystem could be affected, with consequences that are very difficult to predict, said Dan Smale, who led the study for the Cambridge institution. The focus of research has all been on rising temperatures, but what has been overlooked is that it isn't just warming of the water that changes the structure of the ecosystem. The distribution of species is likely to be just as important, and that is going to be affected by iceberg (breakaways).

Findings of the five-year study, conducted at South Cove on the Antarctic Peninsula, were published in the journal Science.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: climatechange; coastalenvironment; environment; fallingice; globulwarming; titanic
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To: Coffee200am

super glue..........


21 posted on 07/19/2008 10:46:49 AM PDT by rrrod
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To: rdax

“Is there anything global warming can’t do?”

Apparently not. Now they’re blaming kidney stones on it!


22 posted on 07/19/2008 10:49:09 AM PDT by ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY ( The Constitution needs No interpreting, only APPLICATION!)
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To: xDGx
This could be worse than Y2K :(

Oh man this is really bad, the worst, especially when one realizes that the Antarctic ice field is growing at an alarming rate. Soon there will be millions of ice bergs falling into the southern oceans killing billions of worms, crabs and spiders. Thanks G*d we spend tons of tax payer dollars to discover this. Perhaps for a few billion more we can build a net around Antarctica to catch the ice bergs before they hit the worms crabs and spiders.

I think I will write something up quickly and send it in. Someone got to do SOMETHING! May as well be me. LOL, I could use a few billion and might even be able to catch a small ice berg or two, in the Antarctic summer of course, too damn cold in the winter down there.

23 posted on 07/19/2008 10:55:40 AM PDT by jpsb
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To: Always Right

I never got that til right now.


24 posted on 07/19/2008 10:57:26 AM PDT by MarkeyD (You cannot enrich the poor by impoverishing the rich. --Abe Lincoln)
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To: Coffee200am
"Scientists in Britain"

Just saw this, damn the bad luck there goes my billions of dollars, oh well, I should have know the Brits are way ahead of us on AGW killing mankind and worms crabs and spiders.

25 posted on 07/19/2008 10:58:37 AM PDT by jpsb
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To: OKIEDOC

perhaps the Goracle can levuitate these icebergs, thus saving the earth from destruction..


26 posted on 07/19/2008 11:01:26 AM PDT by sheik yerbouty ( Make America and the world a jihad free zone!)
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To: Coffee200am
"Study: Falling Icebergs Harming Ecosystem"

Indeed! Until man started producing greenhouse gases, no ice berg has ever been known to fall!

27 posted on 07/19/2008 11:04:57 AM PDT by Enterprise (Let all Democrats have a half vote. They deserve it!)
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To: Always Right
You know you just can't make this stuff up. No one would believe you. The world really has gone insane.

Think maybe mother nature is plowing the sea floor and creating new habitat for worms, crabs and spiders? Oh no, it's killer ice bergs gone crazy reeking havoc on the environment and it is ALL YOUR FAULT.

Bean me up, there is no intelligent life left on this planet.

28 posted on 07/19/2008 11:06:42 AM PDT by jpsb
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To: Wil H
"And Avalanches kill trees, Rock slides kill animals and trees, mud slides kill animals and trees, Volcanoes kill humans, birds, trees, and animals, Forest fires destroy complete forests...."

Sorry. You get an "F" for today. The correct answer is:

a. Bush's fault.

29 posted on 07/19/2008 11:08:06 AM PDT by Enterprise (Let all Democrats have a half vote. They deserve it!)
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To: Coffee200am
Global Warming, the gift that just keeps giving.. The scientists involved in the study sent a thank you card to the government for their last five years of employment and are presently working on coming up with a new useless study which they can again bilk millions, rack up a huge 'carbon footprint' flying around the world multiple times, and continue buying expensive specialized gear so they can keep friends and family involved in other businesses in the chips.

Said one scientist, "I hope they come up with another great exotic locale for the next conference, as I'm tired of freezing my family jewels off with this ice stuff."

30 posted on 07/19/2008 11:15:09 AM PDT by kingu (Party for rent - conservative opinions not required.)
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To: Coffee200am
And of course, icebergs never broke off before global warming was 'discovered'.

Good heavens, these enviroweenies are insane.

31 posted on 07/19/2008 11:15:13 AM PDT by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall cause you to vote against the Democrats.)
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To: Coffee200am

Send more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!!!!!! small bills please


32 posted on 07/19/2008 11:16:32 AM PDT by Waco
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To: exit82
Yes, for how long has ice been falling?
Remember there was the Titanic that rammed an iceberg in 1912 and sunk.
The Titanic’s captain later was accused of being at fault for disregarding the dangers of icebergs which, with everybody's knowledge, always have been floating in the Atlantic.
33 posted on 07/19/2008 11:17:37 AM PDT by hermgem (Will Olmr)
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To: rdax
Is there anything global warming can’t do?

Apparently not. Warming List

34 posted on 07/19/2008 11:17:52 AM PDT by mc5cents (Show me just what Mohammd brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman)
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To: MEGoody

The largest Antarctic iceberg ever sighted was by the USS Glacier in 1955. The iceberg was TWICE the size of the state of Connecticut. These guys talking about icebergs display their lack of knowledge by the numbers.


35 posted on 07/19/2008 11:18:47 AM PDT by Citizen Tom Paine (Swift as the wind; Calmly majestic as a forest; Steady as the mountains.)
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To: Coffee200am

We don’t have glaciers in my part of the U.S. anymore, either. And somehow the World has managed to survive.


36 posted on 07/19/2008 11:27:00 AM PDT by popdonnelly (Boycott Washington D.C. until they allow gun ownership)
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To: Coffee200am

Giant sea spiders, antarctic worms, sea urchins and corals all plead to Barack Obama to save them!


37 posted on 07/19/2008 11:29:21 AM PDT by popdonnelly (Boycott Washington D.C. until they allow gun ownership)
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To: Smokin' Joe
Heh, heh, heh...sweet, eh?

...mutter, grumble...

38 posted on 07/19/2008 11:40:54 AM PDT by SAJ
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To: popdonnelly
Obama is way ahead of the game....What do you think he's been breeding...

And I don't mean his kids..

39 posted on 07/19/2008 11:42:13 AM PDT by Sacajaweau (I'm planting corn...Have to feed my car...)
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To: Coffee200am

Yeah, wow, never have icebergs fallen before. I remember pictures of them falling way back in the 50s when I was in grade school but I guess they were fake because we didn’t have global warming yet, but we were on the edge of global cooling which seems to be coming around again. I wonder how much marine life has been destroyed by these terrible iceberg invaders from another wor...oops, wrong movie!


40 posted on 07/19/2008 11:50:48 AM PDT by calex59
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