Eric Rignot (JPL) In WP Interview - Scale, Speed Of Antarctic Melt Comparable To Greenland

[hatrack]

EDIT

New York City: How does the Antarctic ice sheets melt compare to the Greenland ice sheets...are they melting at the same rate?

Eric Rignot: Antarctic ice sheet loss is nearly comparable, though a bit smaller, than Greenland ice sheet loss. The rate of increase in the last ten years is also comparable.

_______________________

Cary, N.C.: What is the source of the claim from global warming skeptics that Antarctic ice is growing, not shrinking, despite the collapse of the Larsen ice shelves?

Eric Rignot: Climate models have been predicting climate warming would increase precipitation in polar regions (because of enhanced evaporation on the oceans), which has indeed been the case in a few places (e.g. Antarctic Peninsula), but the effect is very modest. Since there is no melt in Antarctica and these models ignored the influence of glaciers, Antarctica could only grow. Reality shows otherwise. Reality shows that glaciers speed up and drive the ice sheet mass budget. This is a major shortcoming of models which we will now try to improve. Models predicted a loss of Antarctic mass only after a warming of 4-5 degree Celsius. We are obviously there much sooner than expected.

EDIT

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/01/13/DI2008011301886.html

[GliderGuider]

1. "We are obviously there much sooner than expected."

How I have come to treasure that familiar refrain!

[XemaSab]

2. Treasure it?

I think it's a little more like the "It's A Small World" ride as Disneyland.

Horrific imagery coupled with an endlessly repeated mantra.

It made hallucinogens seem not only like a good idea, but a necessary one.

:scared:

[tom_paine]

3. We all have our favorites. Mine is: "Who could have foreseen?"

As XemaSab has indicated, Imperial Amerikan life now resembles the "It's a Small World" ride at BushieLand, with maddeningly repetitive refrains.

You are lucky GliderGuider, to be living in Free Canada, and those of us behind the Iron Televised Curtain of Lies that is Imperial Amerika look to you with hope and envy.

However, you are crazy if you don't think the forecs of Imperial Amerikan Anschluss haven't already been felt in your nation by virtue of being next door to our Kinder and Genlter Nazi Germany down here.

Imperial Amerika cannot, over the long haul, allow Canadians to remain free as you will become a rallying point for disgruntled Imperial Subjects. Already, Canada's civil liberties and protections are eroding, and while you are still among the best in the world for protections against the nascent surveillance state (and Amerika is now the equal of Russia and China in that regard, and in the realm of governance), you are trending as we.

Anyway, this is off point for the E/E forum so I will just wrap up by saying, As a Canadian, you have every right to be proud of your relative freedom compared to the Totalitarian Empire to y our South, but you Canadian would be naive not to assume we aren't coming after you freedom in a Kinder and Gentler Anschluss that has already slowly and quietly gotten underway.

[GliderGuider]

4. We already have a Vichy government in place.

All progressives in Canada are well aware that our independence is under attack and that the agenda of the Harper government is, at its heart, an agenda of Anshluss. No small number of us are scared spitless, and getting angrier by the day.

I've personally lost all faith in our political system. There isn't a single party up here that has the combination of comprehension and competence needed to guide us through the coming shitstorm. That leaves personal preparation as the only answer. I'm wondering more and more these days, at what point does personal preparation require direct action?