ICE Satellite Maps Profound Polar Thinning 245
xp65 writes "Researchers have used NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite to compose the most comprehensive picture of changing glaciers along the coast of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. The new elevation maps show that all latitudes of the Greenland ice sheet are affected by dynamic thinning — the loss of ice due to accelerated ice flow to the ocean. The maps also show surprising, extensive thinning in Antarctica, affecting the ice sheet far inland. The study, led by Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, England, was published September 24 in Nature."
What is the net effect? (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm no climate change skeptic, but from just looking at the images it's not clear that the reduction in some places is not balanced by the increase in others. What is the net effect? Can these data be compared to model predictions?
Do they know if this is unusual? (Score:5, Interesting)
I see on the maps that some areas are thinning, near the coasts, and other areas are thickening.
I wonder if that is the usual pattern, or if they are seeing something unusual.
The article didn't mention that, as far as I could tell.
Re:What is the net effect? (Score:4, Interesting)
Yes for Antarctica - there does, indeed, seem to be a balancing between areas with thinning and those with thickening ice. But not for Greenland, which appears to be pretty much on a dramatic thinning regimen.
Re:Do they know if this is unusual? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Do they know if this is unusual? (Score:3, Interesting)
What you are not taking into account is Global Dimming [wikipedia.org]. This phenomenon (do,do, do.do.do) blocks photons from hitting bodies of water which is what is *required* for evaporation to occur. Records of rainfalls taken in Israel has shown a decline in the amounts of rainfall as the amount of particulate matter (from pollution) increases in the atmosphere and blocks light from reaching the earth.
This promotes drought. Less evaporated water in the atmosphere means less rainfall for landmasses and, critically, less snowfall for the polar regions. If the snow hasn't fallen on the polar regions, it still means ice mass is not regenerated at the same rate.
Piri Reis Map of 1513 (Score:0, Interesting)
before there was ground radar to see under antarctica a map was discovered that showed antarctica free of ice.
THIS IS A FACT
AND while hte person that made the map was quoted as saying he made it form other ancient sources, your nasa buddies claim that antarctica was never free of ice for millions of years.
OK slashdotters this poses a question. Is the people that are telling us about weather and climate being truthful and i'll add was there some ancient civilization that mapped the world with radar precision thousands of years before 1958 the day we had radar that mapped antarctica
http://turkeyinmaps.com/piri.html [turkeyinmaps.com]
Re:What is the net effect? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Do they know if this is unusual? (Score:3, Interesting)
You should try verifying that graph scientifically. Some have, with interesting results.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/09/23/taking-a-bite-out-of-climate-data/ [wattsupwiththat.com]