6 July 2010
On Thin Ice That's Getting Thinner
Posted by Dan Satterfield
I was looking for a post on something other than climate science this time, but the news is too big to pass up.
The NSIDC today posted another update of the melting Arctic sea ice. The June ice coverage was the lowest on record and the melt rate highest recorded. It is looking very possible that a new record low in Arctic ice cover may be on the way for September. If not it will be as the Duke of Wellington said after the Battle of Waterloo : “A darn near rum thing”.
From the Nat. Snow Ice Data Center (NOAA)
That is only part of the story. The thickness of the ice is also steadily dropping. As this graphic courtesy of Climate Central shows.
From US NAVY submarine data. (Climate Central graphic)
All of this could be a giant hoax. The data being manipulated for evil purposes! You can find plenty of web sites online that will tell you so.
Ask yourself seriously though, do you really believe that? All those people in a giant conspiracy? No one is breaking the secret pact and telling?
I think most people will answer no to that. There will always be a few who say yes though.
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.
How does this trend look over a longer period of time? I was born in 1980 and have noticed a great emphasis put on leading a more carbon neutral lifestyle over my lifetime. Is there any evidence that all the effort that we are putting into having a smaller carbon footprint is making any change on the climate?
The amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are increasing and the rate of increase is itself increasing. It is now thought we will reach a doubling of the CO2 levels (Compared to the pre industrial levels) by the middle of the century.
CO2 levels are now higher than at any time in the last 650,000 years.
You posted the opinion that most people will not believe that global warming is a conspiracy, but that there are a few who do. Unfortunately, those few tend to be the ones who shout the loudest (Rush, Sean, Glenn, Savage, and a few congresscritters).
As to the question of Mr. Smith: Individually your efforts are less than a drop in the ocean, however, in cooperation with millions of others, a significant effect CAN be made.
We may fail, we may succeed – we are certain to fail if we do nothing.