Arctic Ice May Melt By 2040

Dekortage writes in with a new study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research suggesting that the North Pole may be clear of ice in summer as soon as 2040, decades earlier than previously thought. From the article: "'As the ice retreats, the ocean transports more heat to the Arctic and the open water absorbs more sunlight, further accelerating the rate of warming and leading to the loss of more ice,' Holland said in the statement. 'This is a positive feedback loop with dramatic implications for the entire Arctic.'"

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In other news

[ZeroConcept]

Slashdot editors might dupe this story tonight by 20:40

Re:Skeptical.

[Pentavirate]

Try this one out. This guy puts out a very good argument that many are over-estimating the effects of the CO2 in the atmosphere has on temperature increases. He does the math.

On balance of available evidence then the current model-estimated range of warming from a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide should probably be reduced from 1.4 - 5.8 C to about 0.4 C to suit observations or 0.8 C to accommodate theoretical warming -- and that's including F of 3.7 Wm-2 from a doubling of pre-Industrial Revolution atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, a figure we suspect is also inflated.

The bottom line is that climate models are programmed to overstate potential warming response to enhanced greenhouse forcing by a huge margin. The median estimate 3.0 C warming cited by the IPCC for a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide is physically implausible

YES.

[Mr. Firewall]

In Africa, drought continues for the sixth consecutive year, adding terribly to the toll of famine victims.

...record rains in parts of the U.S., Pakistan and Japan caused some of the worst flooding in centuries. In Canada's wheat belt, a particularly chilly and rainy spring has delayed planting and may well bring a disappointingly small harvest. Rainy Britain, on the other hand, has suffered from uncharacteristic dry spells the past few springs.

As they review the bizarre and unpredictable weather pattern of the past several years, a growing number of scientists are beginning to suspect that many seemingly contradictory meteorological fluctuations are actually part of a global climatic upheaval. The trend shows no indication of reversing.

University of Toronto Climatologist Kenneth Hare, a former president of the Royal Meteorological Society, believes that the continuing drought and the recent failure of the Russian harvest gave the world a grim premonition of what might happen. Warns Hare: "I don't believe that the world's present population is sustainable if there are more than three years like 1972 in a row."

-- Time, Monday, Jun. 24, 1974

Yes, folks, scare stories about global COOLING were all the rage in 1974. Even our old boogeyman, the "tipping point" was there:

Scientists figure that only a 1% decrease in the amount of sunlight hitting the earth's surface could tip the climatic balance, and cool the planet enough to send it sliding down the road to another ice age within only a few hundred years.

So yes, if it all sounds familiar, it's because you HAVE heard it all before. And it was just as hysterical then as it is now.

Here's the full article:

http://www.junkscience.com/mar06/Time_AnotherIce Age_June241974.pdf

Let me remind you...

[WheelDweller]

"The coming ice age!" --1975
"Acid rain so bad children won't be able to play outside" --1980
"The hole in the ozone is ONLY getting worse!" --1990
"Bird Flu is the coming pandemic!" --2005
"The debate over Global Warming is over!" --2006

Don't worry about the planet, folks- it'll take care of itself until the nukes roll out, and anything it does, we can't change anyway. Just ask yourself which political party has been behind each of the claims above.

(Think before you vote)