AFP - Greenland Ice Cap Melting (All Together Now!) Faster Than Expected - Up 400% In 3 Years

[hatrack]

COPENHAGEN (AFP) — The ice cap in the northern hemisphere is melting a lot more rapidly that scientists thought, according to new research published Thursday by the Danish National Space Center.

"Until 2004, the glacier mass in the southeastern part of the island lost about 50 to 100 cubic kilometres (12 to 24 cubic miles) per year. After this date, the melting rate accelerated to 300 cubic kilometres per year. It's a jump of 400 percent, which is very worrying," National Space Center head researcher and project chief Abbas Khan told AFP.

The ice cap, located in Greenland, is melting four times more rapidly than at the beginning of the decade according to the study. Glaciers in southeastern Greenland release icebergs into the sea, corresponding to a giant ice cube measuring 6.5 kilometres (4 miles) per side. "It's an alarming development," Khan said. "We do not know if it is due to global warming or other factors."

The results of the study were made in conjunction with US-based University of Colorado and published Thursday on an online edition of Geophysical Research Letters magazine.

EDIT

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gtpmTPNQONWGgmgxaUoJVxAc_3kQ

[phantom power]

1. Bjorn Lomborg assures me that this won't be a problem.

[hatrack]

2. Well, in that case, fire up th' Tahoe!!!

YEEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!

[kestrel91316]

3. We can ignore this. Everyone knows global warming is a loony

liebrul fantasy.

[OKIsItJustMe]

4. Greenland is melting at a record pace

http://www.scenta.co.uk/Engineering/1707229/greenland-is-melting-at-a-record-pace.htm

Greenland is melting at a record pace

Source: scenta

---

According to Danish researchers, Greenland is vanishing much faster than scientists previously thought.

This is demonstrated by new research results from the Danish National Space Centre at the Technical University of Denmark.

Each year, in the south eastern part of Greenland alone, the glaciers produce a mass of icebergs which is equivalent to a gigantic ice cube measuring 6.5 km on all sides. But the reduction of the inland ice is accelerating. At the moment, four times as much inland ice is disappearing compared to the beginning of the decade.

”If this development continues, the melt water from the inland ice will make the world’s seas rise by more than 60 cm this century,” said senior researcher Abbas Khan of the Danish National Research Centre, who was responsible for the research project.

The results were obtained in co-operation with the University of Colorado and have just been published in the international research magazine Geophysical Research Letters.

The researchers have measured the rate of melting with special, highly sensitive GPS stations placed on the mountains along the inland ice. When inland ice disappears, the pressure on the surrounding mountains eases and they therefore rise slightly. This can be measured by the GPS stations.

The measurements show that the mountains along the fast glaciers in south east Greenland are rising by four to five cm a year. Meanwhile, the rim of this inland ice will be 100 m thinner a year.

(Emphasis added by me.)

[Systematic Chaos]

5. 60cm my ass.

Five times that, minimum. Probably ten or fifteen. Most certainly, "faster than expected".

[reggie the dog]

6. i guess

I had better go to Amsterdam while I still can.

On a serious note, do we have enough resources to rebuild all the costal cities?

Chicago will be sitting pretty nicely. It will still have its beaches too. Paris will still have its river. But costal cities around the world will be ruined.