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mahatmakanejeeves

(56,896 posts)
Fri Dec 21, 2018, 02:45 PM Dec 2018

Melting Arctic ice is now pouring 14,000 tons of water per second into the ocean, scientists find

Source: Washington Post

Energy and Environment

Melting Arctic ice is now pouring 14,000 tons of water per second into the ocean, scientists find

A new survey finds that the region has contributed almost an inch to rising seas since 1971.

By Chris Mooney
December 21 at 12:57 PM

A new scientific survey (1) has found that the glaciers of the Arctic are the world's biggest contributors to rising seas, shedding ice at an accelerating rate that now adds well over a millimeter to the level of the ocean every year.

That is considerably more ice melt than Antarctica is contributing, even though the Antarctic contains far more ice. Still, driven by glacier clusters in Alaska, Canada and Russia and the vast ice sheet of Greenland, the fast-warming Arctic is outstripping the entire ice continent to the south -- for now.

However, the biggest problem is that both ice regions appear to be accelerating their losses simultaneously -- suggesting that we could be in for an even faster rate of sea-level rise in future decades. Seas are rising by about three millimeters each year, according to NASA. That's mainly driven by the Arctic contribution, the Antarctic and a third major factor -- that ocean water naturally expands as it warms.

For Arctic ice loss, "the rate has tripled since 1986," said Jason Box, first author of the new study and a scientist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. "So it clearly shows an acceleration of the sea-level contribution."
....

Chris Mooney covers climate change, energy, and the environment. He has reported from the 2015 Paris climate negotiations, the Northwest Passage, and the Greenland ice sheet, among other locations, and has written four books about science, politics and climate change. Follow https://twitter.com/chriscmooney

(1) http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaf2ed

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/12/21/melting-arctic-ice-is-now-pouring-tons-water-per-second-into-ocean-scientists-find/



David Fahrenthold Retweeted

https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold

Melting Arctic ice is now pouring 14,000 tons of water per second into the ocean, scientists find



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3.5 Mil gallons



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Came here to say that. These kinds of stats need to be in relatable terms so a layperson can easily grasp, particularly when you're trying to tell the story in 140 characters.


13 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Melting Arctic ice is now pouring 14,000 tons of water per second into the ocean, scientists find (Original Post) mahatmakanejeeves Dec 2018 OP
republican lies about climate change are dangerous Achilleaze Dec 2018 #1
I think my timing was right getting rid of.... Bonhomme Richard Dec 2018 #2
When the crops eventualy fail, eat the deniers first Cetacea Dec 2018 #3
Can't wait till Mar-A-Lago is submerged! democratisphere Dec 2018 #4
+1 ProudLib72 Dec 2018 #7
And that fresh water.... ewagner Dec 2018 #5
Or in other words, buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Canoe52 Dec 2018 #6
Count down to the Atlantic Conveyor shutting down GreydeeThos Dec 2018 #8
In that case you can save a few words The_jackalope Dec 2018 #13
Post removed Post removed Dec 2018 #9
Relatable terms help people understand. JudyM Dec 2018 #10
They are destroying the world for their profits. Money is God. YOHABLO Dec 2018 #11
Going to be really interesting to see the effect of the weight change... roamer65 Dec 2018 #12

Achilleaze

(15,543 posts)
1. republican lies about climate change are dangerous
Fri Dec 21, 2018, 02:47 PM
Dec 2018

republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous
republican lies about climate change are dangerous

Cetacea

(7,367 posts)
3. When the crops eventualy fail, eat the deniers first
Fri Dec 21, 2018, 03:09 PM
Dec 2018

They have blood on their hands. Like the tobacco companies, they knew about the problem long before the public did.

ewagner

(18,964 posts)
5. And that fresh water....
Fri Dec 21, 2018, 03:27 PM
Dec 2018

pooling in the ocean....

is changing the gulf stream current...

is changing high and low pressure systems that develop over the ocean

which is changing the jet stream

which is causing global changes in climate.

GreydeeThos

(958 posts)
8. Count down to the Atlantic Conveyor shutting down
Fri Dec 21, 2018, 07:07 PM
Dec 2018

We will not be able to deal with climate change until we deal with capitalism first.

The_jackalope

(1,660 posts)
13. In that case you can save a few words
Fri Dec 21, 2018, 09:47 PM
Dec 2018

"We will not be able to deal with climate change."

As I've been saying for over a decade. But hey, what does a fatalistic defeatist like me know?

Response to mahatmakanejeeves (Original post)

JudyM

(29,122 posts)
10. Relatable terms help people understand.
Fri Dec 21, 2018, 09:16 PM
Dec 2018

Except perhaps for the hardcore deniers who will still chant “Oh yeah prove it, it’s a left wing hoax.”

roamer65

(36,739 posts)
12. Going to be really interesting to see the effect of the weight change...
Fri Dec 21, 2018, 09:33 PM
Dec 2018

on the movement of the tectonic plates.

I would not want to live near any major faults or subduction zones over the next 100 years.

https://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/glacier_quakes.html

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