There is some evidence to make the claim that the Arctic (North Pole) Cap is melting. However even if this happens, the sea levels will not rise significantly. The reason is simple. The Arctic Polar Cap is floating and is therefore much like adding ice to a glass of water. When it melts, the glass does not overflow.
The Antarctic (South Pole) Cap is different. Much of the Antarctic Cap is over land and therefore if it melted, flooding could take place due to higher sea levels. But there is little evidence the Antarctic Cap is shrinking. In fact the evidence does indicate the Western Edge is retreating, but the Eastern Edge is Growing. And the Eastern Edge is actually much larger than the Western Edge.
Report: Antarctic Ice Growing, Not Shrinking confirms this fact.
Ice is expanding in much of Antarctica, contrary to the widespread public belief that global warming is melting the continental ice cap.Actually the Antarctic Cap contains enormous amounts of the worlds water in the form of ice.
Antarctica has 90 percent of the Earth's ice and 80 percent of its fresh water, The Australian reports. Extensive melting of Antarctic ice sheets would be required to raise sea levels substantially, and ice is melting in parts of west Antarctica.But here is the Good News.
East Antarctica is four times the size of west Antarctica and parts of it are cooling. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research report prepared for last week's meeting of Antarctic Treaty nations in Washington noted the South Pole had shown "significant cooling in recent decades."Consequently when you hear some Political Hack claiming that Global Warming guarantees that great parts of the Earth's Surface will soon be under water, it is a false claim. The real scientific truth is contained in this quote.
A paper to be published soon by the British Antarctic Survey in the journal Geophysical Research Letters is expected to confirm that over the past 30 years, the area of sea ice around the continent has expanded.It is an INCONVENIENT TRUTH that Al Gore and his cronies cannot base their chicken little hype of impending doom due to Sea Level Flooding on Polar Ice Cap Melting.
Is it any wonder that the "Goracle" will not debate anyone about Global Warming? Clearly the Scientific Facts are accumulating and the writing on the wall is not Nobel Prize worthy.
8 comments:
I recommend getting all the data before drawing conclusions. While parts of East Antarctica is gaining ice, other parts are losing ice. Satellite gravity measurements of the entire Antarctica continent show that East Antarctica is in approximate mass balance while West Antarctica is losing mass. In other words, overall Antarctica is losing land ice and contributing to sea level rise.
JC
The point of my argument is echoed in your first sentence "...getting all the data before drawing conclusions". It is not settled is the point. We don't need a political agenda spreading fear and mandating drastic, life-changing and expen$ive legislation upon us for something that could very well be a natural occurrence.
I'm not talking about politics or legislation or even what's causing global warming. I'm just clarifying what's happening on Antarctica. You say there's little evidence the Antarctic Cap is shrinking. In actuality, the most comprehensive survey of Antarctic land ice is the GRACE gravity satellite measurements of the entire Antarctic continent. And they find that while there are sections that are gaining ice, overall, Antartica is losing land ice mass.
Global warming won't become significant until the rising oceans threaten Washington DC.
Alright, I see your point, but you are missing some points. Antarctica is most certainly NOT a floating piece of ice for it would float around the entire world. Some things. Since it is ice, it attracts a good deal of water. When that ice is gone that concentration of water is not there anymore. Antarctica pushes the ground beneath it. When Antarctica is gone, that ground goes up and furthermore, takes the place of even more water. I don't remember any more, but there were about six more factors.
After reading the post above me I was like Ooh that's why. No duh MURKY is an american!!! Only Americans like MURKY would make this kind of deduction.
It is sad that PEOPLE LIKE YOU, can not[or choose not to] understand/acknowledge SOLID SCIENTIFIC FACTS, and hide behind your REDNECK IGNORANCE.
I don't DEBATE with IDIOTS such as yourself, why waste my time?
I wish morons like yourself could find ANOTHER planet to live on, then YOU IDIOTS would get what YOU DESERVE, and the REST OF US would not have to suffer due to YOUR stupidity!
If I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to call on my office for further clarification.
This post is directed to Paige Turner. Firstly, perhaps instead of simply shouting at people you disagree with (tactic #1 of the liberal bastions) you might want to consider factual evidence first. Published in Science on June 24, 2005 the following:
Snowfall-Driven Growth in East Antarctic Ice Sheet Mitigates Recent Sea-Level Rise
Curt H. Davis,1* Yonghong Li,1 Joseph R. McConnell,2 Markus M. Frey,3 Edward Hanna4
"Satellite radar altimetry measurements indicate that the East Antarctic ice-sheet interior north of 81.6°S increased in mass by 45 ± 7 billion metric tons per year from 1992 to 2003. Comparisons with contemporaneous meteorological model snowfall estimates suggest that the gain in mass was associated with increased precipitation. A gain of this magnitude is enough to slow sea-level rise by 0.12 ± 0.02 millimeters per year."
or perhaps the following disturbing fact from the Royal Society of Mathematical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences (2006):
We find that data from climate model reanalyses are not able to characterise the contemporary snowfall fluctuation with useful accuracy and our best estimate of the overall mass trend—growth of 27±29 Gt yr−1—is based on an assessment of the expected snowfall variability. Mass gains from accumulating snow, particularly on the Antarctic Peninsula and within East Antarctica, exceed the ice dynamic mass loss from West Antarctica.
Additionally, I have to comment on your rather funny and ironic website regarding the so-called "teabaggers". Is it not wholly ironic that a liberal, defined as one who is "Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry", has such harsh feelings toward someone that might not share your opinion. You, my confused friend, are not a liberal, but a fascist. Have a great day! :)
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