California-Sized Area of Ice Melts in Antarctica

[BgMc31]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...tsinantarctica

I usually don't post on the global warming stuff because I don't know much about it and both sides seem to have very good information both for and against it. But here is the article:

Warm temperatures melted an area of western Antarctica that adds up to the size of California in January 2005, scientists report.

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Satellite data collected by the scientists between July 1999 and July 2005 showed clear signs that melting had occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far inland and at high latitudes and elevations, where melt had been considered unlikely.


“Antarctica has shown little to no warming in the recent past with the exception of the Antarctic Peninsula,” said Konrad Steffen of the University of Colorado, Boulder. “But now large regions are showing the first signs of the impacts of warming as interpreted by this satellite analysis.”


Changes in the ice mass of Antarctica, Earth's largest freshwater reservoir, are important to understanding global sea level rise. Large amounts of Antarctic freshwater flowing into the ocean also could affect ocean salinity, currents and global climate.


NASA’s QuikScat satellite detected snowmelt by radar pulses that bounce off of ice that formed when snowmelt refroze (just as ice cream turns to ice when it is refrozen after being left out on the counter too long.)


Maximum high temperatures of 41 degrees Fahrenheit that persisted for about a week in Antarctica caused a melt intense enough to create an extensive ice layer.


Evidence of melting was found up to 560 miles inland from the open ocean, farther than 85 degrees south (about 310 miles from the South Pole) and higher than 6,600 feet above sea level.


Water from the melted snow can penetrate cracks and the ice, lubricating the continent’s ice sheets, sending them toward the ocean faster and raising sea levels, the scientists said.


“Increases in snowmelt, such as this in 2005, definitely could have an impact on larger scale melting of Antarctica’s ice sheets if they were severe or sustained over time,” Steffen said.


No further melting has been detected through March 2007.

[RA]

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[Lexed]

dam we are all soooooo screwed

[tinyguy2]

OHOOHO NOES GLOBAL WARMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111


except they don't state the fact that it is acctually growing in other places of antartica. plus it's a ****ing global climate cycle change. al gore needs to suck a dick scare mongering pieces of shit!

global warmins is bs. do you ****ers belive in the flying spaghetti monster also

[biglouie250]

OHOOHO NOES GLOBAL WARMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111


except they don't state the fact that it is acctually growing in other places of antartica. plus it's a ****ing global climate cycle change. al gore needs to suck a dick scare mongering pieces of shit!

global warmins is bs. do you ****ers belive in the flying spaghetti monster also

cleary an educated retort. educate us on the frailties of the global warming issue oh wise one.

[Lexed]

Jerry Jerry Jerry

[Act of God]

No one is disputing the fact that the Earth is in a warming trend. The dispute is over why it is in a warming trend.

Shocker, a sensationalist article about ice the SIZE OF CALIFORNIA melting...oh noes, everyone run to Gore's house!

[Logan13]

No one is disputing the fact that the Earth is in a warming trend. The dispute is over why it is in a warming trend.

Shocker, a sensationalist article about ice the SIZE OF CALIFORNIA melting...oh noes, everyone run to Gore's house!

Exactly!

[StoneGRMI]

No one is disputing the fact that the Earth is in a warming trend. The dispute is over why it is in a warming trend.

Shocker, a sensationalist article about ice the SIZE OF CALIFORNIA melting...oh noes, everyone run to Gore's house!

Amen!

[CoreyTampa09]

Global warming does it exist, no doubt about it. But the only reason we are making a large deal about it, preferably the United States is becuase they see there can be a profit made off of it.

Let's see, the most important recource for our economy right now is oil. We must preserve what we have and attain more through what ever means neccessary(hmmm this isn't going on or anything now, is it?!). So the U.S decides a brilliant idea. Let's brainwash americans or at least get them thinking about global warming! What we will do is hit them with TWO things to help change their minds in return of profiting our nation. 1) We will hit them with money problems. We will increase gas prices to force a switch in primary fuel for automobiles. How about Ethanol 83, that the US produces and can profit off of it directly! 2) This new ethanol is BETTER for the ENVIRONMENT. Now we have two things, morality and money inpacting our people.

It makes complete sense and heck im all for it. The us will profit, earth is being healed and we will have as much oil as we can get!

[Kärnfysikern]

The problem with ethanol is that it has a EROEI(energy returned on energy invested) of less than one or very close to 1.

What that means is that you consume less gas if you run your car on gas than if you run your car on ethanol. Ethanol is a waste of time, waste of energy and waste of cash. Atleast if made of corn. It also hurt developing nations, food prices are already going upp in mexico because of the increased demand for ethanol. Not to mention that Ethanol combustion is more health damaging than gas combustion.

I do not know the reliability of the below two links, but what they write seems spot on.
http://www.peakoilandhumanity.com/de...er/ethanol.htm
http://www.eroei.com/articles/2007_a..._corn_ethanol/

Ethanol from sugar canes however have a EROEI larger than 1 however. So its acctualy more energy efficient to import ethanol from brazil than it is to produce it domestic. But even that isnt a long term solution unless we chop down all of the amazon rain forrest and turn it into a sugar cane field.

The most obvious alternative to oil seems to be lithium ion batteries and electric cars. The distribution net is already there, all that is realy needed is to crank up electricity production.
But then people will have to settle for less range, atleast until the battery technology becomes more advanced. Its pretty damn good already though.
http://www.teslamotors.com/