Global warming causing 'irreversible' mass melting in Antarctica - scientist

By Cordelia Hsu

 

FILE PHOTO: A wounded whale that lost part of one of its fins swims near Two Hummock Island, Antarctica, February 2, 2020. Picture taken February 2, 2020. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Global warming was leading to an “irreversible” mass melting of the Antarctic ice and purging carbon from the atmosphere was the only solution to slow the process, an Australian climate scientist told Reuters on Wednesday.

 

Recent human activity has intensified global warming, which could result in a mass melting of Antarctica, said Zoe Thomas, a research fellow at the University of New South Wales who was part of an international team of scientists that recently published a paper on Antarctic ice melting.

 

The study showed the world could lose most of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, which rests on the seabed and is fringed by floating ice, in a warmer world.

 

“What we’re seeing with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, that this starting of the melt, once we reach a certain threshold, will continue despite our efforts to stop it,” she told Reuters.

 

The team hopes to continue the research to determine how quickly the ice sheets responded to increased temperatures, which would help provide a more concrete time frame for the future.

 

The hottest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica of 18.3 degrees Celsius (64.94 degrees Fahrenheit) was taken at a research base there on Feb. 6. If hotter temperatures were to sustain they could cause an extreme global sea level rise.

 

“This will gradually displace people as it goes,” Thomas said. “We know this is already happening in small island communities and this will just continue to happen gradually as more and more houses are being inundated at high tide, then at normal tide and then even at low tide.”

 

Thomas said that the only thing that would slow down the ice melting was if economies across the world began de-carbonising themselves.

 

“Once we commit to this de-carbonised future can then we start thinking about potential options for trying to remove carbon from the atmosphere,” she added.

 

Many advanced economies have pledged to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 though Australia is largely seen as dragging its feet on the issue despite recently suffering one of its worst bushfire seasons ever.

 

According to a forecast published by Britain’s Met Office last month, the fires contributed to one of the biggest annual increases in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere since record-keeping began more than 60 years ago.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-19

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1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Thomas said that the only thing that would slow down the ice melting was if economies across the world began de-carbonising themselves.

and just how does she think that will happen in a few years? Apparently not saying.

Easy to come out with alarmist statements when there is no way all the countries in the world are going to de-carbonise themselves anytime soon. Even if it were possible ( it's not ) to replace every petrol/ diesel powered vehicle on the planet with electric ones, the increased power needs would have to be filled with fossil fuelled power stations, unless politicians wake up and realise nuclear is the only non carbon way of producing that much electricity.

However, there is a remote possibility that common sense will prevail and hydrogen become the energy source of choice. Vehicles can be reasonably easily converted to electric motors if hydrogen is used directly in the vehicles.

 

Meanwhile, does she intend not to fly anymore?

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

“This will gradually displace people as it goes,” Thomas said. “We know this is already happening in small island communities and this will just continue to happen gradually as more and more houses are being inundated at high tide, then at normal tide and then even at low tide.”

I though the flooding of island communities was already disproved.

With most the the supposedly 'at risk' islands now having a higher population, and greater land area.

 

All predictions, with no losses, with Tuvalu being the 'sinking' poster child, even though it isn't sinking.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-19/fact-check-is-the-island-nation-tuvalu-growing/10627318

 

"Contacted by Fact Check, Mr Kelly stood by his recorded words and said the claim was based on research from the University of Auckland.

This peer-reviewed study used satellite imagery to measure Tuvalu's changing land area over four decades.

Between 1971 and 2014, it showed, the country grew by more than 73 hectares, or 2.9 per cent.

Each period of the study experienced net increases in land area, including the most recent decade.

Of Tuvalu's individual islands, 73 had increased in land area while 28 had decreased. Just one had eroded entirely."

 

receding icecaps reveals bigger problem... 

 

 

 

 

“Entomologist Dr. Ovid Byron speaking to television journalist, Tina, who says, re: global warming, "Scientists of course are in disagreement about whether this is happening and whether humans have a role."
He replies:
"The Arctic is genuinely collapsing. Scientists used to call these things the canary in the mine. What they say now is, The canary is dead. We are at the top of Niagara Falls, Tina, in a canoe. There is an image for your viewers. We got here by drifting, but we cannot turn around for a lazy paddle back when you finally stop pissing around. We have arrived at the point of an audible roar. Does it strike you as a good time to debate the existence of the falls?”

 

Barbara Kingsolver, Flight Behavior

Uh-huh.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica

Quote

It used to be ice-free until about 34 million years ago, when it became covered with ice.

 

That ice is a new thing.

See why LOS desperate for those chinese subs to run along the BTS, wonder if they'll cahrge aquarium fees to park your own bathosphere in condo water basement, Jacques Clues O can you hear me.

12 minutes ago, RubbaJohnny said:

See why LOS desperate for those chinese subs to run along the BTS, wonder if they'll cahrge aquarium fees to park your own bathosphere in condo water basement, Jacques Clues O can you hear me.

Jacques Clouseau is dead.

 

If you are referring to Jacques Cousteau...he's dead too.

8 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Jacques Clouseau is dead.

 

If you are referring to Jacques Cousteau...he's dead too.

Yep Iron knee is tough

With reference to the last paragraph.

I worked in deep coal mining and was of the belief that when fossil fuels burnt, bushfires in Australia, the gas given off was Carbon Monoxide not Carbon Dioxide, hence the need for canaries as detectors of Carbon Monoxide when we had underground fires???

Actually biggest problem of melting ice isn't just polar bears starving. There's a lot of methane trapped under ice, which is a lot worse greenhouse gas than CO2. Once that starts releasing into the atmosphere in significant amounts, it will be very unpleasant to live on this planet...

How many ostriches are there in governments? Isn't it crystal that the planet will go t*ts up unless we address global warming.

 

For starters, we, the earth's population, must radically cut animal products from our diets. Factory farms must be terminated and, instead, use water supplies and land crops to feed humans, not cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. The odd turkey on thanksgiving day, excepted.

 

Otherwise, support the blinkered ostriches...

1 hour ago, Wullie Mercer said:

With reference to the last paragraph.

I worked in deep coal mining and was of the belief that when fossil fuels burnt, bushfires in Australia, the gas given off was Carbon Monoxide not Carbon Dioxide, hence the need for canaries as detectors of Carbon Monoxide when we had underground fires???

In conditions where the supply of oxygen is llimited, such as in coal mines underground, more carbon monoxide will be created and less CO2. It's a case of incomplete combustion. Unlike CO2, CO is still flammable. 

 

referring to my high school science notes before throwing money at it..........The Earth's axis is tilted 23.5 degrees from the plane of its orbit around the sun. But this tilt changes during a cycle , The tilt of the axis varies between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees. Because this tilt changes, the seasons as we know them become exaggerated

 

1 minute ago, wombat said:

 

referring to my high school science notes before throwing money at it..........The Earth's axis is tilted 23.5 degrees from the plane of its orbit around the sun. But this tilt changes during a cycle , The tilt of the axis varies between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees. Because this tilt changes, the seasons as we know them become exaggerated

 

What do you mean by a cycle?

22 minutes ago, stephenterry said:

How many ostriches are there in governments? Isn't it crystal that the planet will go t*ts up unless we address global warming.

 

For starters, we, the earth's population, must radically cut animal products from our diets. Factory farms must be terminated and, instead, use water supplies and land crops to feed humans, not cows, sheep, pigs and chickens. The odd turkey on thanksgiving day, excepted.

 

Otherwise, support the blinkered ostriches...

Why not just treat the root cause which is humans and legislate for restricting future births to, for example, 1 per family.

 

It appears most humans serve no useful purpose on earth other than to exist, work, consume, pollute and feel entitled to have, own and do as they want.

15 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

What do you mean by a cycle?

I  assume that he is referring to Milankovitch cycles, of which the earth's tilt is one factor.

 

1 minute ago, nauseus said:

I  assume that he is referring to Milankovitch cycles, of which the earth's tilt is one factor.

 

Well, if that's the case, what does he mean by: :Because this tilt changes, the seasons as we know them become exaggerated._

Those pesky scientists eh - I'm sure the deniers will all be happy to be treated by the local witch doctor the next time they get ill. 

13 hours ago, DrTuner said:

Uh-huh.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica

 

That ice is a new thing.

and we popped out of the cooling soup. 

Troll post removed

1 hour ago, wombat said:

 

referring to my high school science notes before throwing money at it..........The Earth's axis is tilted 23.5 degrees from the plane of its orbit around the sun. But this tilt changes during a cycle , The tilt of the axis varies between 22.1 and 24.5 degrees. Because this tilt changes, the seasons as we know them become exaggerated

 

not to mention the output of the big shiny thing in the sky that hurts to look at.

I would suggest anyone who is interested look at two maps. First map is of the greening of the world due to more CO2 and the second map is look at all the volcanoes in Antarctica which are melting the Ice from below... It does not take a scientist to see the cause and effect of the big string of volcanoes heating the surface area and melting the ice.

 At just slightly lower than 180 PPM CO2 all the plant life just about dies and so do we from starvation..

16 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

unless politicians wake up and realise nuclear is the only non carbon way of producing that much electricity.

James Lovelock was saying this 16 years ago: 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/james-lovelock-nuclear-power-is-the-only-green-solution-564446.html

 

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/james-lovelock-on-nuclear-power-and-if-ai-can-stop-warming.html

 

 

3 minutes ago, SunsetT said:

James Lovelock was saying this 16 years ago: 

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/james-lovelock-nuclear-power-is-the-only-green-solution-564446.html

 

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/james-lovelock-on-nuclear-power-and-if-ai-can-stop-warming.html

 

 

Some people, including James Lovelock, seemed determined to remain invincibly ignorant about the huge strides that renewables including solar and wind have made. Already, they've made coal uneconomical and are now taking business away from the natural gas sector as well. As for nuclear, it's far too expensive to have even the slightest chance of competing successfuly against the tumbling prices in the renewables sector.

2 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Actually biggest problem of melting ice isn't just polar bears starving. There's a lot of methane trapped under ice, which is a lot worse greenhouse gas than CO2. Once that starts releasing into the atmosphere in significant amounts, it will be very unpleasant to live on this planet...

....And methane is also (being) released by the accelerating melt of permafrost:

 

https://chinadialogue.net/blog/11165-Melting-Arctic-permafrost-could-supercharge-global-warming/en?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyPOJrq3f5wIVwyMrCh3IZg0AEAAYASAAEgLenvD_BwE

Just now, SunsetT said:

....And methane is also (being) released by the accelerating melt of permafrost:

 

https://chinadialogue.net/blog/11165-Melting-Arctic-permafrost-could-supercharge-global-warming/en?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyPOJrq3f5wIVwyMrCh3IZg0AEAAYASAAEgLenvD_BwE

And by fracking...

Fracking boom tied to methane spike in Earth’s atmosphere

The chemical signature of methane released from fracking is found in the atmosphere, pointing to shale gas operations as the culprit. 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/fracking-boom-tied-to-methane-spike-in-earths-atmosphere/

12 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Some people, including James Lovelock, seemed determined to remain invincibly ignorant about the huge strides that renewables including solar and wind have made. Already, they've made coal uneconomical and are now taking business away from the natural gas sector as well. As for nuclear, it's far too expensive to have even the slightest chance of competing successfuly against the tumbling prices in the renewables sector.

I hope that you are right but I think that, as Carol King sang: "Its too late baby, now its too late".

3 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Actually biggest problem of melting ice isn't just polar bears starving. There's a lot of methane trapped under ice, which is a lot worse greenhouse gas than CO2. Once that starts releasing into the atmosphere in significant amounts, it will be very unpleasant to live on this planet...

Same thing with the Siberian tundra. Yes, that methane getting into the atmosphere could be a real problem. Right now the largest source of it are farting farm animals.

 

If we were clever, we'd capture it and burn as natural gas. Fairly good fuel.