Climate: New study slashes estimate of icecap loss

PhysOrg.com ^ | Sep 07, 2010 | Richard Ingham

[Arkancide]

Estimates of the rate of ice loss from Greenland and West Antarctica, one of the most worrying questions in the global warming debate, should be halved, according to Dutch and US scientists.

In the last two years, several teams have estimated Greenland is shedding roughly 230 gigatonnes of ice, or 230 billion tonnes, per year and West Antarctica around 132 gigatonnes annually.

Together, that would account for more than half of the annual three-millimetre (0.2 inch) yearly rise in sea levels, a pace that compares dramatically with 1.8mm (0.07 inches) annually in the early 1960s.

But, according to the new study, published in the September issue of the journal Nature Geoscience, the ice estimates fail to correct for a phenomenon known as glacial isostatic adjustment.

This is the term for the rebounding of Earth's crust following the last Ice Age.

Glaciers that were kilometers (miles) thick smothered Antarctica and most of the northern hemisphere for tens of thousands of years, compressing the elastic crust beneath it with their titanic weight.

When the glaciers started to retreat around 20,000 years ago, the crust started to rebound, and is still doing so.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

The whole refrain goes: “The science is settled — we need more billions for further research!!”.

[GloriaJane]

[Wonder Warthog]

"Together, that would account for more than half of the annual three-millimetre (0.2 inch) yearly rise in sea levels, a pace that compares dramatically with 1.8mm (0.07 inches) annually in the early 1960s."

Ye flippin' gods. Three millimeters is a lot closer to 0.1 inch than to 0.2 (0.118 inches, to be more precise). If they can't even get simple arithmetic right, how the heck can they be trusted to "math model" ANYTHING.

[Helotes]

If they can take back Reggie Bush’s Heisman, then they should take back Gore’s Nobel

[b4its2late]

We’re doomed!

[rednesss]

"If all the floating ice in the world melted it would cause sea levels to rise by just 4cm."

Huh??? Archimedes would like to talk to you.

[Marine_Uncle]

Evidence via. careful observation continues to build the case against any form of world wide warming trends. It will be nice to read eventually how the CCX Exchange out of Chicago will go into it’s final meltdown.

[politicalmerc]

Don’t be so hard on those Scientific-like boys; they were only wrong by 50% or so.

[Red_Devil 232]

Heeeeee Heeeeee!

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Unexpected!

[Proud_USA_Republican]

Unexpected!

[WOBBLY BOB]

[dockkiller]

The argument is over and the alarmists lost.

I’ll celebrate with you later.

The President of the United States, most leaders of the “free” world and most of the United States Congress still believe in it.

[dockkiller]

Link or citation?

I’d like to have those numbers at my fingertips when teaching my kids.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

Huh??? Archimedes would like to talk to you.

Wouldn't the melted ice occupy exactly the same space as the submerged part of the ice?

[Vinnie]

The President of the United States, most leaders of the “free” world and most of the United States Congress still believe in it.

I'm not sure they actually believe it or simply are trying to convince the masses so they can run through all kinds of environmental taxes.

[NormsRevenge]

Forget going green — Earth doesn’t care ( We are Doomed ...Commentary of how many ways)

I love fatalist threads.. Thanks! :-)

[smokingfrog]

...they forgot about the glacial isostatic adjustment...

Don't sweat the small stuff.

Close enough for government work. /s

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

“Climate scientists,” at least the dishonest and sloppy ones, are giving scientists in general a bad name. Although I believe there are questions beyond the capabilty of even honest scientists to answer, that’s sad.

[smokingfrog]

Do heavy objects that are surrounded by ice “sink?”