Related Posts
Now You Sea It, Now You Don’t: Watch Arctic Sea Ice Melt
One of the most striking changes that has taken place in the Arctic since the start of satellite...
Study: Methane is Rapidly Leaking Through Holes in Arctic PermafrostFor the longest time, CO2 was considered the main culprit in global warming. Many would pin climate change...
Study blames humans for Arctic sea ice loss Credit: NASA/Kathryn Hansen
A new study by scientists at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University...
Greenland glacier melt indicative of climate change
The massive 160 square mile (414 sq km) ice island that broke off from Greenland’s Petermann glacier earlier...
Climate Change is Forcing Arctic Changes Faster than Expected
A research project that involved more than 370 scientists from 27 countries, all of which spent a combined...
Tip of the Day
When given the choice, take the stairs instead of the elevator to save energy and workout at the same time!
Arctic melt powers vicious warming circle, scientists say
photo by Patrick Kelley, U.S. Coast Guard; U.S. Geological Survey (source: Flickr Creative Commons)
Arctic temperatures have risen twice as fast in recent decades as temps in the rest of the world. Melting sea ice – considered part of a positive feedback loop – as well as wind, cloud and ocean current changes have been suspected of driving this rapid warming, known as Arctic amplification.
A positive feedback loop is a system where the cause and effect perpetuate one another, like a vicious circle.
A new study shows that Arctic warming from melting sea ice may be driving a positive feedback loop between rising temperatures and disappearing ice.
From an article in the Guardian:
The concept of Arctic sea ice having a tipping point is still hotly debated. Our results cannot prove whether we have passed a tipping point or not. What we can say is that the emergence of these strong ice-temperature feedbacks can only increase the likelihood of further rapid warming and sea ice loss.
–James Screen, study leader, University of Melbourne, Australia
The global melting of floating ice is also a concern as it threatens to contribute to a rise in sea levels, albeit far less directly than the melting of land ice that then flows into the sea. If floating ice melts it reflects less sunlight and can also unblock glaciers on land, which can in turn fall into the sea. Floating ice has been disappearing at a steady rate over the last 10 years, according to a groundbreaking study. The loss of floating ice has totaled more than ice loss on land from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
From a Reuters report:
‘It’s a large number,’ said Professor Andrew Shepherd of the University of Leeds, lead author of the paper, estimating the net loss of floating sea ice and ice shelves in the last decade at 7,420 cubic kilometers.
Ironically, some scientists believe that the hole in the ozone over Antarctica – created by mankind’s now-banned use of CFCs – has slowed warming temperatures and ice melt there. However as the ozone hole closes, Antarctic temperatures could increase an average of 3C, causing sea levels to rise by 1.4 meters.
Colin Summerhayes, executive director of SCAR – the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research – was quoted in a Guardian article back in November of last year regarding the dangers of Antarctic ice melt:
It contains 90% of the world’s ice, 70% of the world’s fresh water and that is enough, if it melts, to raise sea levels by 63m.
by Graham Land
Additional resources:
NASA – Sea Ice Yearly Minimum with Graph Overlay 1979-2008
Yale Environment 360 – The Copenhagen Diagnosis: Sobering Update on the Science
Tags: Antarctica, arctic, feedback, floating, Guardian, ice, loop, melt, ozone, positive, sea, temperatures, warming
4 Comments
You can also log in to post a comment.
Other Greenfudge.org posts
Chevy Volt: America’s first mass-produced electric vehicle
In 2009 the American auto giant GM filed for bankruptcy, downsized and got bailed out by the U.S. government. President Obama announced that GM would be restructured; a new GM would emerge and 'produce the high-quality, safe, and fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow'. Cue the Chevy Volt. The Volt isn't exactly a hybrid – it's completely battery powered for the first 40 miles (64 km) of use, after which it can shift over to running like any other petrol/gasoline-powered vehicle. So...
The hunt for another Earth
If the schlocky TV show Terra Nova left you grumbling and disappointed, as it did me, perhaps the real life search for a new Earth might spark your interest and inspire your imagination. NASA’s Kepler Mission is exploring the Galaxy in search of Earth-like inhabitable planets. Terrestrial planets are one half to twice the size of Earth and Kepler is particularly on the lookout for such planets that orbit stars at a distance allowing liquid water – and thereby the possibility of...
Strange scenes at COP15: curious news stories from the Copenhagen summit
So far the UN climate summit in Copenhagen has had its fair share of drama and quirkiness, from a British viscount calling climate activists 'Hitler Youth' to a polar bear challenging President Obama keep his promise to act on climate change. Here is a sampling of some of the more odd and less-covered bits of news surrounding COP15. Alternate climate meetings are taking place in Copenhagen, including a skeptic's conference of 'climate contrarians' who are against any measures which would regulate...
Subterranean rivers – dead and buried
Photographer and urban historian Steve Duncan explores and documents hidden aspects of urbanization and industrialization, from disused missile silos in the United States to the archaeology of Ancient Rome. In a series for National Geographic, Duncan investigates urban underground rivers. These rivers are not natural phenomena, like some subterranean waterways that run through cave systems, but rather the result of human engineering. For purposes of urban development, for hundreds of years mankind has changed the courses of rivers and streams, covering...
Green Facades: Simpler Alternative to Living Walls
There is more to living walls than meets the eye; they are complicated things that require pumps, hydroponics and a lot of maintenance. A simpler alternative, known as green facades does not require pumps and technology because the vegetation is planted on the ground and the walls become its growing medium. The green facade is conceptualized by Edouard François. This approach is time-intensive and takes years before you can view the intended design because you have to wait for the...
Oregon Town Powered by Geothermal Energy Inspires Others
Towns and cities around the globe have embraced the use of renewable energy. Most of the time, you’ll hear about people switching to solar or wind power, but the Oregon town of Klamath Falls took the road less traveled. This town of 20,000 is one of the few that uses geothermal power—for just about everything imaginable. The geothermal power of Klamath Falls is used to heat buildings, brew house kettles, and greenhouses. It’s kept their sidewalks warm since the early ‘90s...
COP16: the U.S. wants to get but won’t give
Earlier this week I told you about the European position towards the COP16 Climate Conference and the important steps the EU is trying to make in order to fight climate change and it’s consequences. I also told you that since the U.S. as been more of a blocking factor than anything else during the previous climate talks, it might be better if they would not participate in the conference at all, especially considering that even if they would agree on...
European Energy online community
The European Energy online community www.european-energy.org – a platform for future generations – went on online during June 2010. This Facebook application connects people, who want to act to make the planet a cleaner place. By 4th July 2010 nearly 2,500 members had joined. The members of the community turn off all of their lights for an hour each night. They replace the majority of their light bulbs with energy efficient light bulbs, and they drive ...
Hungary toxic mud: affected the environment, not the production of soda cans
At the beginning of this month, a catastrophic amount of red mud filled with alkaline broke through the worn out containment walls of the Ajkai Timfoldgyar Zrt alumina plant near Kolontar, Hungary, after days of heavy rain. Between then and now, 9 people have died and close to 250 people where injured. To prevent the red mud from reaching the Danube, the second largest river in Europa and main drinking water supply of the region, the local authorities deployed a rather...
Deepwater deputizin’ – BP out of Arctic, Cairn Energy in
Poor BP. After the Deepwater Horizon mishap they have been tarred by their own brush, so to speak. But lets face it, despite BP’s exceptionally bad safety record, it’s a bad brush all around; whether you’re a pelican in the Gulf of Mexico or a person living beside Alberta’s tar sands or in the Niger River Delta. Of course BP has the well-deserved worst rap at this point in time and so they won’t be able to share in the spoils of...
View all articles
Admit it, you cherry-picked that half of the sentence, Alex!
The second part was “albeit far less directly than the melting of land ice that then flows into the sea”.
/
Anyhoo, I don’t really get it. But if something is actually floating, isn’t it not really contributing to sea levels? If I let my rubber ducky float around the bath (it’s more apparent in the sink, but I stopped doing that years ago) the water level is not affected as much as when I pretend to drown him by holding him under the water (I don’t actually drown him, I’m not a total sadist). It’s totally not peer-reviewed science, but still.
Add that to the bit about fresh water having a higher volume than salt, but seriously the bit about floating ice is a side note.
“The global melting of floating ice is also a concern as it threatens to contribute to a rise in sea levels,”
That would be news to Archimedes!!
Only the melting of land based ice increases sea levels, but with more humidity in the atmosphere the thickness of Antarctic ice over land is likely to increase and whatever happens in the next 50 years, the Antarctic land mass is likely to remain at below zero degrees centigrade.
Thanks, Merv.
/
I took out the word ‘significantly’ because it was inaccurate and hopefully I clarified things a bit. The ABC report says ‘If all the world’s floating ice melted it would add about 4 centimeters to sea levels’, because it adds fresh water, which has a higher volume than salt. However, its real effects are knock-on (unblocking glaciers, contributing to a ‘destructive warming cycle’).
/
It was a misleading detail, though the main point of the post was Arctic amplification. Even a stupid turkey can admit to a bad detail in a blog post.
“The global melting of floating ice is also a concern as it threatens to significantly raise sea levels.”
This is the kind of stupid, false, statement that undermines the problems that can be expected from global warming. As anyone with a basic primary school education should be aware, the melting of “Floating Ice” does not raise sea levels. In fact it slightly decreases sea levels, as ice is a little Less dense than water, and hence occupies less space when it has melted.
Please try to find a competent (at least marginally) writer if you intend to publish future comments. Your present turkey should not last beyond next thanksgiving.