lightblueline

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE British Antarctic Survey, June 5, 2007

"Hundreds of glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula are flowing faster, further adding to sea level rise according to new research published this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Climate warming, that is already causing Antarctic Peninsula increased summer snow melt and ice shelf retreat, is the most likely cause.

This site, hosted at NASA's Earth Observatory, presents the state-of-the-science for ice-melt on Greenland and the Arctic:

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has just (May 29, 2007) released a study that found 2006 to continue a trend of more days of ice melting:

"Daily satellite observations have shown snow melting on Greenland’s ice sheet over an increased number of days. The resulting data help scientists understand better the speed of glacier flow, how much water will pour from the ice sheet into the surrounding ocean and how much of the sun’s radiation will reflect back into the atmosphere.

In an article published in Environmental Research Letters on May 24, 2007, James Hansen, NASA scientist, discusses the non-linearity of shelf ice melting and the reticence of scientists to announce their fears about this process. The whole article is worth a read. Below is just the section on sea-level rise risks:

May 15, 2007
A team of NASA and university scientists has found clear evidence that extensive areas of snow melted in west Antarctica in January 2005 in response to warm temperatures. This was the first widespread Antarctic melting ever detected with NASA's QuikScat satellite and the most significant melt observed using satellites during the past three decades. Combined, the affected regions encompassed an area as big as California.

A computer model projection of average daily maximum temperatures over the eastern United States for July 2085 (left) and July 1993 (right). Areas in violet shading show temperatures of 26°C (79°F); green 30°C (86°F); yellow 34°C (93°F); red 38°C (100°F); dark purple 42°C (108°F). Credit: NASA/GISS

Climate modelers at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Science at Columbia University have recently reports the results of a study based on their latest models. This study indicates that the Eastern US, from Chicago to Atlanta to Washington, may experience summer temperature extremes several degrees hotter than current conditions by the year 2080, due to the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions.

A year-long series of reports on the science and the impacts of climate change, this program offers schools and the public a wealth of information.
Climate Connections
Check back every week for new content!
You can subscribe to the Climate Connections RSS Feed Here: RSS

Prof. Steve Schneider at Stanford has a website that provides an excellent overview of climate change, science, policy, and other topics and links: Climate Change
Here is an excerpt: