Entire Antarctic Shelf splitting away from Continent.

[downtownparks]

I am thinking more of Narcissus actually.

[Lunican]

Ice melting across globe at accelerating rate, NASA says

Between 1.5 trillion and 2 trillion tons of ice in Greenland, Antarctica and Alaska have melted at an accelerating rate since 2003, according to NASA scientists, in the latest signs of what they say is global warming.

Using new satellite technology that measures changes in mass in mountain glaciers and ice sheets, NASA geophysicist Scott Luthcke concluded that the losses amounted to enough water to fill the Chesapeake Bay 21 times.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/12/16/melting.ice/index.html

[RiversideGator]

And yet Alaskan glaciers are increasing in size:

Alaskan Glaciers Grow for First Time in 250 years

Michael Asher (Blog) - October 16, 2008 9:48 AM

Glacier Bay National Park. Two and a half centuries ago, the entire area was covered by thick sheets of ice.
High snowfall and cold weather to blame.

A bitterly cold Alaskan summer has had surprising results. For the first time in the area's recorded history, area glaciers have begun to expand, rather than shrink. Summer temperatures, which were some 3 degrees below average, allowed record levels of winter snow to remain much longer, leading to the increase in glacial mass.

"In mid-June, I was surprised to see snow still at sea level in Prince William Sound", said glaciologist Bruce Molnia. "In general, the weather this summer was the worst I have seen in at least 20 years".

"On the Juneau Icefield, there was still 20 feet of new snow on the surface [in] late July. At Bering Glacier, a landslide I am studying [did] not become snow free until early August."

Molnia, who works for the US Geological Survey, said it's been a "long time" since area glaciers have seen a positive mass balance -- an increase in the total amount of ice they contain.

Since 1946, the USGS has maintained a research project measuring the state of Alaskan glaciers. This year saw records broken for most snow buildup. It was also the first time since any records began being that the glaciers did not shrink during the summer months.

Those records date from the mid 1700s, when the region was first visited by Russian explorers.  Molnia estimates that Alaskan glaciers have lost about 15% of their total area since that time -- an area the size of Connecticut.

One of the largest areas of shrinkage has been at the national park of Glacier Bay. When Alexei Ilich Chirikof first arrived in 1741, the bay didn't exist at all -- only a solid wall of ice. From that time until the early 1900s, the ice retreated some 50 miles, to form the bay and surrounding area.

Accordingly to Molnia, a difference of just 3 or 4 degrees is enough to shift the mass balance of glaciers from rapid shrinkage to rapid growth. From the 1600s to the 1900s, that’s just the amount of warming that was seen, as the planet exited the Little Ice Age.

Molnia says one cold summer doesn't mean the start of a new climatic trend. At least years like this, however, might mark the beginning of another Little Ice Age.

As DailyTech reported earlier, Arctic sea ice this year has also increased substantially from its low in 2007.

http://www.dailytech.com/Alaskan%2BGlaciers%2BGrow%2Bfor%2BFirst%2BTime%2Bin%2B250%2Byears/article13215.htm

[tufsu1]

Its not hard to increase arctic ice in 2008 given that the lowest recorded value ever was in 2007!

[Charleston native]

^ More false information. The amount of Arctic sea ice measured in 2007 was not the lowest level ever recorded.

[RiversideGator]

More evidence of global warming:

Snowstorm hits Las Vegas

'Significant historical event' forces road closures, strands travelers at airport, closes schools

By BRIAN HAYNES
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

A rare winter storm swept through Southern Nevada Wednesday, dumping the most snow on the valley in nearly three decades, grounding flights at the airport, forcing the closure of major highways and closing schools for today.

"This is the most snow we've had in Las Vegas in almost 30 years," said Chris Stachelski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "It's a significant historical event."

At 9:50 p.m. Wednesday, the weather service measured a record-breaking 3.6 inches of snow at its office location southwest of McCarran International Airport. It was the highest snow accumulation recorded in the month of December in Las Vegas since the start of official records in 1937. The previous record was 2 inches of snow, which fell on Dec. 15, 1967.

The weather service dubbed the storm as "the eighth greatest snowstorm ever in official Las Vegas weather records for any month."

http://www.lvrj.com/news/36367204.html

[Lunican]

It seems like there are a lot of significant historical weather events occurring lately... oh well.

[RiversideGator]

Yes.  I forgot the party line:  cold weather events are now actually signs of global warming.   

It is great how the GW crowd has changed their mantra to "climate change" to allow them to attempt to argue that any unusual weather (hot or cold) is "proof" of their preconceived notion of GW.  So, if it is hot in Vegas, that is proof of GW.  Or, if it is cold in Vegas, that is also proof of GW.  They cant lose.   

[Jason]

Yes.  I forgot the party line:  cold weather events are now actually signs of global warming.   

It is great how the GW crowd has changed their mantra to "climate change" to allow them to attempt to argue that any unusual weather (hot or cold) is "proof" of their preconceived notion of GW.  So, if it is hot in Vegas, that is proof of GW.  Or, if it is cold in Vegas, that is also proof of GW.  They cant lose.   

Are you serious?!

Just because a snow storm happens in Nevada, doesn't mean the theory of global warming is debunked. 

[jandar]

Are you serious?!

Just because a snow storm happens in Nevada, doesn't mean the theory of global warming is debunked. 

Just like any hot weather or melting glaciers doesn't mean the Global Warming exists.

[Jason]

You're right, hot weather events don't prove it either.  But personally, I don't think the evidence on either side of the argument is conclusive enough for me to state an opinion on wether or not the glaciers and ice caps are actually melting or not.

[Lunican]

River, I see after all these years you still don't even know what global warming is. Do you have any idea by how many degrees global warming is expected to raise the earths temperature by?

[tufsu1]

or, may I suggest watcvhing the movie "The Day After Tomorrow"....while overdramatized, the premise behind it is supported by many scientists.

[BridgeTroll]

But see... here is the problem.  In this thread some are arguing how dire the future is and how we should drastically cut carbon emissions... while in another thread some are tearing down any thought of nuclear reactors to provide clean, reliable, electricity at a reasonable cost.

[Jason]

Wait until the next heat wave rolls around this summer....  that will really confuse some people!

deniers: "It snowed in Vegas, there is no way that global warming is real because I'm freezing!"

believers:  "Its 90 degrees in Alaska!  Global warming has to be real because I'm sweating my butt off!"


A single weather event is not a guage to either support or debunk global warming.