Q http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/28aug_greenland/ The Hidden Meltdown of Greenland Tweet Pin it Aug. 28, 2015: More than 90 percent of our planet’s freshwater ice is bound in the massive ice sheets and glaciers of the Antarctic and Greenland. As temperatures around the world slowly climb, melt waters from these vast stores of ice add to rising sea levels. All by itself, Greenland could bump sea levels by 7 meters (23 feet) if its ice melted completely. And … it’s melting. In August 2014, Eric Rignot, a glaciologist working at the University of California, Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, led a team in mapping ice cliffs at the front edges of three outlet glaciers in Greenland. The researchers found cavities that undercut the base of these leading edges that can destabilize the ice front and enhance iceberg calving, the process where parts of the glacier break off and float away. “In Greenland we have melt rates of a few meters a day in the summer months,” says Rignot. ... ... UQ
At the rate we are going it is not a question of if, it's when. Imagine what the coastal cities will be like.
I don't see what the problem is. I like it. It puts it into perspective. If you're thinking about how much ice it would take to make a difference, well there it is. If all the ice in Greenland melted, about 23 feet. Not sure why anyone would take offense. I don't see the big deal. Once we've established how much sea levels will rise if all the ice in Greenland melts, then it is just a simple matter of calculating the likelihood of that happening. And if it likely, we just need to ask when? Then we can prepare appropriately. What's the big deal?
Just found 2 links below. Personally I think our natural ecology system on earth should be better maintained as is! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology Q http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Schools/...s+affect+people+living+in+other+countries.htm Where in the world will the greatest impact of climate change and melting glaciers be felt? Melting glaciers have several different effects. For example, the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas will affect the drinking supplies of the millions of people who rely on meltwater rivers. In addition, when sea levels rise, people living close to sea level will have their homes flooded. This will have a major impact on the hundreds of millions of people living on low-lying land in Bangladesh. Out of the four places suggested: Asia, Africa, the Arctic and the Amazon, the impact of climate change and melting glaciers is likely to be felt most in Asia, because this is the region that has the highest population. What is the global threat of glaciers melting? The key milestones for a possible future sea-level rise timeline are: World sea-level is expected to rise 60cm to 70cm by 2100; but this is mostly due to thermal expansion (as the sea gets warmer, it expands) Significant glacier melting in Artic, Antarctic, Himalayan and Alpine regions could produce another metre of sea-level rise by around 2200 If greenhouse gas emissions keep rising, the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets could one day melt completely, bringing 7m and 60m rises respectively. However, this might take hundreds of years Who is most at risk from glaciers melting and sea levels rising? Poorer places and people are more vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise than richer places and people because they lack the capacity to change as well. Sea level rises over the next hundred years or so are more likely to cause mass migrations than mass mortality because the timescale for sea level rise is such a long one that in the main, changes are likely to be gradual. It is unknown where the world's poorest people will migrate to in order to escape rising sea levels and what the consequences of this movement will be. The IPCC (Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change) has projected major eustatic changes in sea-level over the next 100 years if CO2 levels continue to climb towards the danger level of 550 parts per million (ppm). It has long been recognised that any sea level rise will have a disproportionately bigger effect on some countries than others. The worst effects will be felt by those that are: Coastal and low-lying (thus at greatest risk of flooding) Poor and highly-populated (thus lacking a capacity to cope) Bangladesh is certainly worth discussing. It has a GDP per capita of just $1,300 and a very low Human Development Index score (the nation is ranked 140th). Bangladesh is also a terribly vulnerable country, with much of its land close to sea level on the Ganges delta, where the land is naturally sinking and subsiding in any case. Many other nations are at serious risk of sea-level rise. The poorest of these lack the resources needed to adapt to climate change. In a high-emissions future, some places could be abandoned entirely: The Maldives. Most of the tiny islands that make up the Maldives are less than two metres above sea level. The 300,000 people that live there may soon become climate change refugees. In 2008, the Maldives President asked neighbours India and Sri Lanka if he could buy some of their land The Pacific island state of Tuvalu. Half of Tuvalu's 10,000 residents live within three metres of today's sea-level. Many islanders think they may soon need to migrate elsewhere UQ Q https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glaciers/questions/people.html Do glaciers affect people? Today, glaciers often are tourist attractions in mountainous areas. But glaciers are also a natural resource, and people all over the world use the meltwater that glaciers produce. Glaciers provide drinking water People living in arid climates near mountains often rely on glacial melt for their water for part of the year. Many of the rivers coursing through China, India, and other parts of the Asian continent are fed largely by snowmelt from the Himalaya, but in late summer a significant part of riverflow comes from melting glaciers. In South America, residents of La Paz, Bolivia, rely on glacial melting from a nearby ice cap to provide water during the significant dry spells they sometimes experience. Demand for glacier water has increased in other, perhaps less expected ways, too. Some beverage companies sell bottles of glacial meltwater, and ice cubes made of glacier ice are popular in some specialty drinks. In fact, a Chilean man was arrested in 2012 for stealing five tons of ice from the Jorge Montt Glacier. He had planned to sell the ice to restaurants in the capital, Santiago. ... ... UQ
if your idea is to let the Native Americans and all indigenous people (including the Arabs) manage their own resources I agree. If you are talking about "We The People" and "Our Government" running things, no thanks, I have already seen how that ends up.
Goodbye old growth forests. Goodbye marshes and beaches. Goodbye 30% of the planet's species. The coral reefs, bye bye. It's depressing.
See how much difference it would make... http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/ I like the mountains anyway.
The problem with the whole world today is lack of ownership. Taking more and more land and resources from the people will only make things worse. Some, not all, but most take care of what they own.
Good... maybe the Vikings can now re-settle Greenland. There was a reason they named it Greenland and established farming there during the Medieval Warm Period.