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Too young and too thin?

By | April 7, 2009, 9:42am PDT

Summary: We’re not talking about pop singers or scrawny fashion models. We’re talking Mother Earth. Specifically the Arctic ice sheets. The latest data from NASA shows the Arctic ice sheets and thinner and younger than at any time since humans started measuring them. In dealing cards you make cut thin to win. In [...]

We’re not talking about pop singers or scrawny fashion models. We’re talking Mother Earth. Specifically the Arctic ice sheets.

The latest data from NASA shows the Arctic ice sheets and thinner and younger than at any time since humans started measuring them. In dealing cards you make cut thin to win. In ice sheets, thin means losing. Losing ice, losing glacier surface area, losing the Arctic’s ability to reflect solar solar.

Satellite inages of Arc tic ice date back ton 1979, a mere blink in geological time. And the past six winters have seen the smallest winter ice coverage in Arctic in those three decades. Old ice is often thicker and more melt-resistant. Once ice older than two years accounted for a third or more of Arctic ice. Now that figure’s down to 10%.

Here’s NASA’s summary of their report. Bottom line: Arctic is on thin ice.

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Topics

Ice, Arctic, Ice Sheet, Network Technology, Networking, Harry Fuller

Disclosure

Harry Fuller

http://blogs.zdnet.com/green/?page_id=2

Biography

Harry Fuller

Harry Fuller is a media veteran, having spent decades in TV news in the San Francisco Bay Area. As GeneralManager of KPIX-TV (CBS) he founded one of the nation's first TV station websites in early 1995. He was News Direcor at TechTV when it was founded in 1998. In 2001 he moved to London to become Executive Producer for CNBC Europe. Four years later he returned to San Francisco as Executive Editor for CNET's news.com.

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No ad hominem, please
aspit 8th Apr 2009
Did you read the NASA article? I didn't think so. Just call me a "flat earther" already and be gone.

These "ice volume" measurements are estimates, are only for selected years, and the data hasn't been expanded upon to see what effect climate change may or may not have had upon the supposed ice volumes.

You really hurt your cause by dismissing any dissenting opinions. But along with the inconsistencies of this pop science, that may be a good thing!
View in thread
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Here come the flat earthers.
kozmcrae 7th Apr 2009
I'm sure they'll have something to say. None of it meaningful, helpful or based in knowledge. Most likely what they will have to offer will be based in ignorance, arrogance and self importance.
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An excellent description of the blog author.
frgough 7th Apr 2009
But, of course, your rant was directed against people you don't like in
a classic, textbook case of ad hominem.

Let's think a little bit. The blogger says we've only been measuring ice
for a blink in geologic history, yet implies we can perfectly predict
global effects of thin ice, no ice, etc. Despite that fact that NONE of
the global warming models predicted the cooling trend for the last 7
years, or the record cold in the northern hemisphere this year (and
don't give me the nonsense about local weather. The northern
hemisphere is not local).

Second: On what basis the assumption that the current climate is the
perfect climate? In terms of sheer biodiversity, the fossil record would
indicate that a globe completely free of polar ice is the most
hospitable.

Third: Carbon dioxide is a trace gas vital to the carbon cycle.
Increasing CO2 levels will almost certainly increase plant growth.

Fourth: CO2 is actually one of the weaker greenhouse gases. Water
vapor is the most powerful greenhouse gas present in the Earth's
atmosphere, making up about 4% of the atmosphere on average.

Fifth: No global warming model takes the water cycle and its massive
production of greenhouse gases into account, thus eliminating from
consideration the most powerful and common greenhouse gas in the
planetary atmosphere.

Yes, the denial, ignorance and self-importance is entirely on the
global warming advocate's shoulders.
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Thank you!!
techboy_z 7th Apr 2009
...and let it be duly noted as well, that Al Gore continues to own 4 homes, each larger than anything most in the middle class would DREAM of being able to own -- and left his lights on for that hour on "Earth Day". Hypocrite with a financial stake in the "Global Warming" myth.
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No references
Reality-based 8th Apr 2009
You have no scientific (or other) cites to back up any of these claims, it's all word salad. There may some kernels of truth in what you say, but it's tough to tell frp, what you provide.
Your second point is rather misanthropic.
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Good science
Reality-based Updated - 7th Apr 2009
This is good scientifically-backed observation.
Anyone who says the globe is cooling, or that global warming has stopped, or that there's no scientific consensus, or that it's all a socialist plot to tax us and exert world control, or a plot to funnel more money to Al Gore et al, had better have some real science and facts to back them up, or they will be justly regarded as fools or tools.
See also this news coverage:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/06/AR2009040601634.html
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Other scientifically backed observations
frgough 7th Apr 2009
Global temperatures have been cooling the past several years. The
northern hemisphere is experiencing record cold. Solar activity and
output are unusually low. Increasing CO2 spurs plant growth. CO2 is a
trace gas. CO2 is a weak greenhouse gas compared to water vapor.
No global warming model takes into account precipitation. No global
warming model takes into account cloud cover. No global warming
model predicted the cooling trend. The arctic ice sheet has lots of
thin, new ice, because it's growing instead of receding.

There's more to science than observing.

The fools and tools are the ones who look at one piece of data taken
out of context and use it to justify their agenda.
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Like George Will?
Reality-based 8th Apr 2009
WHen you write "The fools and tools are the ones who look at one piece of data taken
out of context and use it to justify their agenda. ", I assume you are referring to George Will.
http://thingsbreak.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/george-will-and-the-washington-post-reputations-gone-up-in-smoke-over-global-warming-denialism/
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Socialist plot?
techboy_z 7th Apr 2009
Yeah...it's in the process of being carried out! It's no longer a "conspiracy theory". It's called "Cap and Trade". Science is VERY inconclusive regarding supposed "global warming" -- which is just a tool of the far-left to hamstring American corporations, which they despise, and those American individuals who have actual, real jobs and actually earn a good living...when they themselves struggle to make ends meet on their minimum wages from Greenpeace!!
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RE: Too young and too thin?
aspit 7th Apr 2009
So let me get this straight. Arctic ice is terribly thin, according to 30 year old studies. And now new drastic scenarios are being formulated. 30 years tells us everything we need to know about a 4.5 billion year old planet? Hey, everyone's getting in on the pop science game.
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Nobody said that.
kozmcrae 7th Apr 2009
Nobody is claiming that our only record of arctic ice thickness will tell us "everything" in the Earth's 4.5 billion year climate history. Your 50 words, however, tell us much about what you don't know.
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No ad hominem, please
aspit 8th Apr 2009
Did you read the NASA article? I didn't think so. Just call me a "flat earther" already and be gone.

These "ice volume" measurements are estimates, are only for selected years, and the data hasn't been expanded upon to see what effect climate change may or may not have had upon the supposed ice volumes.

You really hurt your cause by dismissing any dissenting opinions. But along with the inconsistencies of this pop science, that may be a good thing!
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See many arguements that suggest that CO2 is a
xXSpeedzXx 7th Apr 2009
good thing for plants, and while it is true that CO2 is something that plants need, there is something else that plants need, as well as humans... it is called water.

Now what has been suggested is that for every 1 degree of temperature rise, there is a reduction in humidity.

While one person was going on about how cold winter was, he forgot to mention one thing, and that is record droughts. Why the droughts, well without water plants cannot grow, means no food, for animals, and humans.

Trees only grow back so fast, and at the rates the lung of the planet is being hacked down in the amazon, we are giving our world lung cancer. Historically in conjunction with the sea ice, history in the amazon rain forest, things are getting more airid.

Scientist are not looking at only sea ice, or carbon levels, they are looking at several factors. We will reach a point where the major plant life of the planet will no longer be able to support our population, and due to our lack of stewardship, and our only interest in taking this rental car out and beating the hell out of it, is going to cause our extinction. And extinction that humans had the capacity to stop, but did nothing, due to ignorance, and the lack of concern.

Just remember it may not be the end of the world for some of us, but history has shown where humans failed to control their population, and consumption of resources, they destroy themselves. The Natives in America had it right. Look out to the next 7 generations, and anticipate what your actions will have on your decendants.
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A pity we have no data from the 1930's
zmud 8th Apr 2009
Those were some hot, dry years
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RE: Too young and too thin?
zmud 8th Apr 2009
The national snow and ice data center says fifth lowest on record (since 1979!)
the ice has been increasing since 2007
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/2009/033009.html

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