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Subscribe to RSSJust a week after scientists reported with alarm that 97 percent of Greenland had seen ice melting on the surface in mid-July, new data shows that after a brief refreeze much of the massive ice sheet has again seen melt.
Temperatures again warmed above freezing at key points between July 24-31, according to data provided to NBC News by Konrad Steffen, director of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research.
Thomas Mote, a climatologist at the University of Georgia at Athens, added that satellite imagery showed that the week peaked on Saturday with 74 percent of the giant ice sheet seeing melt.
Typically, about a quarter of the ice sheet has melt on any given day in July, he noted.
"This event was almost as impressive as earlier this month, but didn't have quite as much melt in the north and northwest," Mote told NBC News.
"The big issue is simply the total amount of melt going on this summer, as opposed to any one day," he said. "Overall, we've had much earlier-than-normal and more extensive melting on Greenland this summer."
Like the mid-July melt, this one coincided with an "impressive ridge" of warm air sitting over Greenland, Mote noted.
Related story: 97 percent of Greenland sees ice melt
Mote said he's anxious to see satellite data at the end of summer showing any change to Greenland's total ice mass. "I would expect a very large loss of mass from the ice sheet this summer," he said.
Greenland ice cores do reveal that such thaws have happened every 150 years or so, but the fear now is that it might occur much more frequently due to warming sea and air temperatures.
"If we continue to observe melting events like this in upcoming years, it will be worrisome," NASA glaciologist Lora Koenig said last week when the first data were released.
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It just ain't so cuz the Kochs told me so.
Hey Deniers, prove to me that Greenland exists. For that matter, prove to me that there is such a phenomena known as 'melting'. And while you're at it, prove to me that the earth isn't flat.
at least they re-wrote the article this time around (from the one 2 weeks ago). The maps and descriptions were very mis-leading in the previous articles (MSN even removed the original map legends).
The article now states the ice-sheet has 'melt', not 'melted' as was previously reported.
Greenland ice sheets are on average, a mile thick. It would take 50 years for them to melt away even if the temp was in the 90's every summer.
Everytime the temp goes above freezing, there is a slight melt on the surface of the ice. This is just physics. But a smart group has figured out it is easier to say the ice is melting to scare people rather than just say the temps are going above freezing in a place where that doesn't happen very often.
Of course, according to the ice sheet records, it seems to have happened every 150 years for the past thousands of years.
So, does this prove Global Warming, no. Does it prove absence of Global Warming, no. But it sure does prove that there are some scientists and media outlets that jump on the chance to write an article that tries to scare people into believing it exists.
Let's shut down the corrupt Republican OIL corporate NOW, before it's too late, if it isn't already!!
Let's get on with MAGNETICALLY-DRIVEN ELECTRICAL ENERGY, IT'S NON-POLLUTANT & FOSSIL FUEL FREE!!
There are 3 VIABLE patents in our U.S. Patent Office by Howard Johnson and they have been there a long time! They wouldn't have been awarded patents if they weren't VIABLE!!
There are people already using this form of energy for their home electricity. And, Troy Reed, an electrician from Tulsa, OK, has been developing a MAGNETICALLY-DRIVEN ELECTRICAL MOTOR for automobiles. This form of energy is EXTREMELY CHEAP to manufacture, install, operate & maintain! And, best of all, EACH SYSTEM is independent of the other systems! NO MORE MASSIVE POWER OUTAGES!
What is it going to take to save our planet? These corrupt Republican OIL & FINANCIAL corporates should have LONG AGO switched to this form of energy, but because of their UNCONTROLLED CAPITALISTIC GREED NOTHING has been done!
TR Rose:Seriously? "They wouldn't have been awarded patents if it wasn't viable?" Did you read that on the internet, therefore it must be true? Magnetically driven electric motors have been around for a long time, but it still requires electricity to run. Do you think electricity simply comes out of the wall socket? Help us!
NO we are so worried about race, guns and hoodies. After a while theyll be no more earth to live on. So why does it matter now? Ban imported hoodies from China, sorry had to add that in
JackBNimble1, I challenge you to give me independent confirmation that Earth even exists. Maybe we are all just a figment of some sleeping God's "Midsummer's Nights Dream". (Shussshhh, if he wakes we are all goners!) - RC
Rick, I think I read somewhere from a scientist who taken a couple of online courses from Phoenix University and had done an "exhaustive" Google seach on the subject and through the evidence gathered (most of it coming from a company called 'Earth Is') was able to prove that because 'Earth Is' had a website it therefore existed, and because it existed Google had to exist, and because Google existed the Earth had to exist because there is no other place that Google could reside. Seems like a compelling argument to me.
Somebody in Greenland must be gay, why else would god be doing this?
Greenland - the world's largest tropical island is now open for business.
Melt water can be very corrosive to ice and snow. This is especially true if it radically increases the surface areas of these glaciers, so warm winds blowing over the surface will correspondingly increase this rate of surface melt on these glaciers. They need to do advanced computer modeling of this phenomena when it comes to accurately predicting the rate at which these glaciers can one day melt. - RC
They are aware of it. It's call positive feedback.
I love it when people use the word Naysayers, these people themselves are ignorant of the facts. EVERY Global Warming Model that Al Gore placed on us with Facts has been dis-proven or changed. Remember the fear that Greenland was supposed to be underwater by 2015 because by 2010 the melt would be catastrophic, now scientists have changed their forecasts from oceans risings by meters in the next 5 years to 15 millimeters over the next 250 years! Many scientists that taught the fear mongering model have since changed their viewpoints and have turned to moderate realistic thinking, yes, scientists that stood by Mr Gore are starting toi turn away from his predictions. By the time we reach the 250 year point that 15 centimeters will be adjusted again guaranteed, and most likely (as history proves) will be adjusted in our favor!! The problem with the people driving the Global Warming idea is they take extreme extrapolated predictions to forecast (worst case scenarios). They then take these overzealous predictions to extrapolate further changes and come out with predictions they claim as facts. The typical "Naysayer" is not one to disbelieve we are affecting the earth, but we are ones that do not fall for the fear factors or the "global disaster is imminent" message that have been predicted By Al Gore and his cronies. If everyone keeps watching the predictions we keep hearing things like since "84" since "75"... etc. Then we keep hearing that predictions change, Al Gore gained ground on some items and many governments are now charging carbon taxes for at the fuel pump, and where has that gotten us? All its done is take money away from the middle class. Yes the earth is changing, it always has, and since the last ice age its been getting warmer, no denying that. And like the previous thousand ice ages it with turn around again, the true Naysayers are the people that have no faith in mother nature or this planet that it has been here 65 billion years and is still here changing and supporting life; this planet has proven to be much stronger and much more adaptable than mankind ever can be. People are worried about us destroying the planet, we should be more worried about destroying ourselves instead!
"destroying ourselves" .......... with pollution due to cyclical consumption (growing the economy) , I fully agree.
And so what is the solution? Stop advancement? Absolutely everything created or built on this planet creates a footprint or affects the environment in some negative way. Processing or Consuming of anything including food is detrimental to the environment. Yes we need to be responsible, but nothing is "environmentally friendly" and way too many people use this term loosely.
Every generation has its doomsayers, in the 60s it was Nuclear War was imminent, 70 was overpopulation, by now North America was supposed to be starving. The early 1900s a large portion of the population was against home wiring for electricity as it would "kill the inhabitants" of the house. History has proven that advancing technology and civilization policies have always negated the Doomsdayers fears.
K.Truant, there were also the naysayers that claimed the earth was flat. To your point: being in the minority opinion doesn't automatically insure credibility. Just sayin....
JackBNimble1, there is still a Flat Earth Society in existence today. 2300 years after Eratosthenes, an ancient Greek mathematician, calculated the Earth's circumference to be about 25,000 miles. A later Greek mathematician named Posidonius calculated it to be about 18,000 miles. Ptolemy, who influenced most Medieval map makers, used both numbers at various times in his writings. During the time of Columbus the numbers were still in dispute, 1700 years after Eratosthenes.
Do you see any parallels?
Then, everybody knew the earth was round. Today, everybody knows the earth is heating up.
Then, because they didn't have truly accurate measuring devices the numbers were in dispute. Today, because we don't have truly accurate forecasting models the numbers are in dispute.
Then, educated people like Ptolemy changed their mind about the numbers. Today.... do you get my drift?
Honest people can honestly disagree. With the sheer number of variables involved in modeling climate change today. With all the disputes over data collection methods and interpretations. We simply can't say with certainty what our climate will be like 10 to 100 years in the future. 40 years ago scientists were seriously talking about ways to avert the coming ice age. Just sayin....
For crying out loud Vikings settled Greenland in the tenth century and raised cows on there before the cold weather returned durring a little ice age. You can't raise cows on a sheet of ice. All you Greenies who are crying that we caused this don't know or refuse to study their history. Durring the medival warm period the population was able to increase because the weather was much warmer enabling larger crop production. So this warming cooling cycle has been going on for a long time. What I don't like is people using this so called "Global Warming" as an excuse to tax me more or control the way I live. While we do need controlls on polution and such (nobody wants to see th US end up like China) we need to stop shouting about how man is heating up the earth.
Justice....
Not all of Greenland was ice free back then. Only coastal areas were. The areas they settled were ice free, much as they are now on Greenland.
Not entirely accurate Stumpjumper. Those earlier settelers buried their dead in graveyards just like we do today. Those graveyards are in permafrost today. It wasn't permafrost in 900 AD. The root crops of the day like parsnips, turnips, beets, carrots, and rutabagas won't grow in frozen ground.
It may cause the rising of the water level.
It's just a trend in the weather and it will pass so pull up them bootstraps , "life aint fair" folks. (people say it to their kids all the time)
Is there global warming? Yes. Is it all due from man made causes? No. How much is man made? I can not find any % of man vs nature from any "trusted" source. If man made sources are the cause - what do we eliminate? Electricity? Autos? If we go 100% nuclear/wind/thermal/etc. and 100% electric cars (and how long would that take) how much would it reduce the warming? How much more would our energy cost? Is there any way the necessary laws could be passed to make this happen? No. It's time for compromise to get done what we can in a resonable way. Nuclear is a good start. Tell the President to allow the waste storage facilities (how many years in the making). It is the green thing to do.
Wrong. The climate science community does not agree with you. I go with science.
Then your not trying or being honest with yourself.
Do you really think your question have not already been posed? LMAO.
Why is a land mostly covered in ice called Greenland while a land mostly not is called Iceland?
Somewhere, George Carlin wants to know.
"Greenland ice cores do reveal that such thaws have happened every 150 years or so, but the fear now is that it might occur much more frequently due to warming sea and air temperatures."
Don't you have something else to fear other than a cyclic event that "might" happen more frequently? Maybe? I guess we have to wait a while to see if the fears are valid (150 years?). As this warming period subsides the eco-alarmists in Boulder can fear the oncoming ice age (read 1970's alarmist predictions!).
Nothing new to see here, move along.
LOL, Frank. Where is George when you need him? Whether the current drought in the US is manmade or natural though, it is really tough. But then again, without the Dustbowl of the 40's, Steinbeck couldn't have written The Grapes of Wrath. And man had far less impact back in those days.
Breaking news, did Iran tested a nuclear bomb?