Sunday, March 30, 2008

Absolute iceberg malarkey

For the fearmongering and alarmist portions of the article, please follow the link and read it for yourself. I've highlighted the disclaimer portions below (my emphasis in bold), whereby the author is letting loose little facts that actually detract from the fear this story is meant to instill in you (because of your greenhouse gas emissions, loser).

These collapses happen. They ARE NOT PROOF that human-emitted CO2 is causing the earth to warm. Don't let them snow you, so to speak.

Now, look here to see where ice is reforming. Note how they're still not wanting to admit that the new ice means anything.

Pressdemo.com Headlines | Western Antarctic Ice Chunk Collapses:

While icebergs naturally break away from the mainland, collapses like this are unusual but are happening more frequently in recent decades, Vaughan said. The collapse is similar to what happens to hardened glass when it is smashed with a hammer, he said.

Climate in Antarctica is complicated and more isolated from the rest of the world.

Much of the continent is not warming and some parts are even cooling, Vaughan said. However, the western peninsula, which includes the Wilkins ice shelf, juts out into the ocean and is warming. This is the part of the continent where scientists are most concern about ice-melt triggering sea level rise.

Here's Reuter's version, which is even more preposterous. Note the huge leap he makes in the last paragraph; they're watching ice break up, and that's all. They HAVE NOT IN ANY WAY TIED THIS TO GREENHOUSE GASES. A high school science student could recognize what an abysmal bit of reaching that is in terms of the scientific method. PUH-LEEEZZZZEEE!!! Again, this is empirical evidence, and empirical evidence pointing in the other direction is always ignored or sited as proof of manmade climate change (i.e., record cold and snow THIS VERY WINTER ACROSS THE WORLD). Let's also not forget this unfortunate fact--the earth has cooled FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS, while CO2 levels have reportedly continued rising; why are these "geniuses" ignoring this?

If he has to say it has been in place for "at least a few hundred years," does that mean he knows for sure? And if so, how did it form before 200 years ago. Can it form again? Scam-bos is a good name for this guy. The NYT is giving its opinion too, so I'll be watching the Wilkins ice shelf carefully, even though they admit in the editorial it will reform due to the winter that's now starting...which is funny, because it means it just broke up during a seasonally warmer period?!

Slab of Antarctic ice shelf collapses amid warming | Reuters
:

"One corner of it that's exposed to the ocean is shattering in a pattern that we've seen in a few places over the past 10 or 15 years. In every case, we've eventually concluded that it's a result of climate warming," Scambos added.

Scambos said this ice shelf has been in place for at least a few hundred years, but warm air and exposure to ocean waves are causing a breakup.

"The warming that's going on in the peninsula is pretty clearly tied to greenhouse gas increases and the change that they have in the atmospheric circulation around the Antarctic," Scambos said.

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