lightblueline

Source: The Daily of the University of Washington: By Brian Smoliak: May 1, 2008
Speaking of Science: UW scientists offer sea level rise projections, investigate icy uncertainty

Come the year 2100, Washington State’s coastline could be in for some noticeable changes. Coastal cities from Bellingham to Olympia are already planning for the possibility of rising waters over the next 50-100 years.

Source: The Independent (UK), December 28, 2007

By: Michael McCarthy

The Year in Review: The planet

Excerpt Below:

No denying the cold, hard facts

Source: CNN December 11, 2007

Scientist: 'Arctic is screaming'

Excerpt:

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- An already relentless melting of the Arctic greatly accelerated this summer, a warning sign that some scientists worry could mean global warming has passed an ominous tipping point. One even speculated that summer sea ice would be gone in five years.

SOURCE: Seattle Times, 12/11/2007
By Robert S. Boyd: McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — "Rising temperatures caused ice to melt in Greenland at a record rate this year, climate scientists reported Monday.

Greenland ice melting at record pace, scientists say

Source: Reuters, Dec. 6, 2007
by Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent

INTERVIEW-Greenland ice could be next puzzle for U.N. panel

Excerpt:
BALI, Indonesia, Dec 7 (Reuters) - A thaw of Greenland ice that could raise world sea levels may be the next puzzle for the U.N. climate panel that won the Nobel Peace Prize, a senior member of the group said.

In the Arctic, a shockingly sudden retreat of the ice is changing everything
Colin Woodard, Chronicle Foreign Service
Friday, October 19, 2007

The San Francisco Chronicle sent a science writer to Greenland from where he reports on The meltdown of Greenland's way of life

Here are some excerpts:

"(10-19) 04:00 PDT Ilulissat, Greenland --
Seen from the air, Greenland's massive ice cap is clearly taking a beating.

Source: CNN: updated 9:36 a.m. EDT, Wed October 24, 200

CNN report on the Melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Here are some excepts:

"ILULISSAT, Greenland (CNN) -- From the air, Greenland's ice sheet, the second largest on Earth, appears to be perfectly still.
But below the surface, the ice sheet is in constant motion, as ice built up in the interior pushes toward the coast in the form of massive glaciers. During warmer months, ice from these glaciers melts into the ocean.

NASA-backed study: High altitude melt at 150 percent of 2-decade average: MSNBC, September 25, 2007

You can read the whole article here: Parts of Greenland ice melting at faster rate

Here is an excerpt:

"The ice sheet covering Greenland, a mass so big it would raise sea levels by 20 feet if it vanished, continues to melt and high-altitude areas saw their fastest melt rate in two decades of recording, researchers reported Tuesday in a peer-reviewed journal.

Today (September 19, 2007) the AFP reported on the state of one of the now-fastest moving glaciers on the planet:

You can read the original here: Greenland's Jakobshavn glacier sounds climate change alarm

"JAKOBSHAVN GLACIER, Greenland (AFP) — The chaotic cavalcade of blueish ice tumbling into the sea from the world's fastest-moving glacier is sounding a daily climate change alarm, say scientists ahead of International Polar Day on Friday.

Scientific uncertainty over the speed at which the Polar ice caps can/will melt is another feature of the current state of the science for climatologists. To melt ice actually takes energy, and the simple (drip-drip-drip) melting of an ice sheet the size of Greenland would take several hundred years. There is certainty in that simple model for Greenland's future. This is one reason why it was allowed into the recent IPCC report.