Resolving the Paradox of the Antarctic Sea Ice

Science Daily ^ | August 16, 2010 | Staff

[lbryce]

While Arctic sea ice has been diminishing in recent decades, the Antarctic sea ice extent has been increasing slightly. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology provide an explanation for the seeming paradox of increasing Antarctic sea ice in a warming climate.

The paper appears in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science the week of August 16, 2010.

"We wanted to understand this apparent paradox so that we can better understand what might happen to the Antarctic sea ice in the coming century with increased greenhouse warming," said Jiping Liu, a research scientist in Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

Currently, as the atmosphere warms, the hydrological cycle accelerates and there is more precipitation in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica. This increased precipitation, mostly in the form of snow, stabilizes the upper ocean and insulates it from the ocean heat below. This insulating effect reduces the amount of melting occurring below the sea ice. In addition, snow has a tendency to reflect atmospheric heat away from the sea ice, which reduces melting from above.

However, the climate models predict greenhouse gases will continue to increase in the 21st century, which will result in the sea ice melting at a faster rate from both above and below. Here's how it works. Increased warming of the atmosphere is expected to heat the upper ocean, which will increase the melting of the sea ice from below. In addition, increased warming will also result in a reduced level of snowfall, but more rain. Because rain doesn't reflect heat back the way snow does, this will enhance the melting of the Antarctic sea ice from above.

[lbryce]

It is indeed a paradox because of the very paradoxical nature to which it contradicts the unscientific hogwash we've been foisting upon the gullible about global warming.

Our chief scientist/crack researcher, below, carefully measuring any changes in temperature that would indicate global warming.

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[steelyourfaith]

 

Beam me to Planet Gore !

[AbeKrieger]

Manmade climate change is bullsh!t from top to bottom. Period, end of story.

[tx_eggman]

"We wanted to understand this apparent paradox so that we can better understand what might happen to the Antarctic sea ice in the coming century with increased greenhouse warming," said Jiping Liu, a research scientist in Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

Rest easy Jiping Liu, your funding will be continued.

Oh, and you're a whore.

[PATRIOT1876]

While Arctic sea ice has been diminishing in recent decades, the Antarctic sea ice extent has been increasing slightly enormously.

There, fixed it.

[Paladin2]

Let me take a wild guess - the waters in the Arctic are slightly warmer (at least they were two years ago) and the waters around the Antarctic are slightly colder?

[qam1]

Exhibit A on How Global Warming Research is Not Science

In Science, you observe the data and develop a hypothesis that fits the data.

Here, They are taking a hypothesis (Global Warming) and trying to develop data to fit that hypothesis.

[CarWashMan]

Bush’s fault.

[stefanbatory]

So global warming is only occuring in part of the globe?

Isn’t it winter in Antarctica right now, btw?

[Pontiac]

They are taking a hypothesis (Global Warming) and trying to develop data to fit that hypothesis.

Although the Global Warming Scientist are doing that Global Warming proponents are more devious than that.

They build a theory that regardless of what the data say it can not refute the theory.

If Earth warms it is global warming, if the Earth cools it is global warming.

Global Warming can not be refuted (in the minds of its proponents) because it is not a scientific theory at all but a pseudo religion. Those who keep the faith will not be dissuaded.

[count-your-change]

And hydothermic emanations from deep ocean waters cause cascading current disturbances in the thermally layers as the upper temperature gradients become sequestered from the lower boundary layers and the sun's heating causes freezing when it shines on the permanent ice shelves, both over and under utilized by temperature forcing however, this may not always occur if the differential cooling/heating cycle is interrupted.

[Seruzawa]

Should change the name from “Science Daily” to “Guesswork Daily”.

[moehoward]

So it’ll stay colder until it doesn’t?

[PilotDave]

“We have to understand the paradox...”

This darned planet just isn’t cooperating with our models. The largest concentration of ice should be getting smaller if the earth is warming. Not LARGER! Dang dang dang...

[Publius Maximus]

"We wanted to understand this apparent paradox so that we can better understand what might happen to the Antarctic sea ice in the coming century with increased greenhouse warming," said Jiping Liu, a research scientist in Georgia Tech's School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

The paradox is that these flat-earth, don't-let-the-data-ruin-a-perfectly-valid-hypothesis fraudsters are taken seriously as scientists.

[cookcounty]

"So global warming is only occurring in part of the globe?

Yup. There are glaciers in the Southern Andes that are growing at enormous rates.

[jonrock]

I don’t see the arctic diminishing

http://www.ijis.iarc.uaf.edu/en/home/seaice_extent.htm

[centurion316]

While Arctic sea ice has been diminishing in recent decades

False premise. Arctic sea ice has not been diminishing, it has remained remarkably stable and this year will finish the melt season in either the number 2 or 3 position of the years for which records exist. That inconvenient fact makes this entire study not worth squat.

[upcountryhorseman]

If all the ice melted at both the North and South Poles and
all known glaciers melted, the ocean would only rise a few inches!

[PreciousLiberty]

“If all the ice melted at both the North and South Poles and
all known glaciers melted, the ocean would only rise a few inches!”

If all the ice at the North Pole melted, sea levels wouldn’t change. That ice floats.

If all the Antarctic and Greenland ice melted, sea levels would rise by around 200 feet.

http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/environment/waterworld.html

It should be noted that since the last ice age, sea levels have already risen almost 400 feet, with not a shred of human intervention. It is unsurprising that the trend is continuing today.