ICE Satellite Maps Profound Polar Thinning

xp65 writes "Researchers have used NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite to compose the most comprehensive picture of changing glaciers along the coast of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. The new elevation maps show that all latitudes of the Greenland ice sheet are affected by dynamic thinning — the loss of ice due to accelerated ice flow to the ocean. The maps also show surprising, extensive thinning in Antarctica, affecting the ice sheet far inland. The study, led by Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge, England, was published September 24 in Nature."

Comments

Personally...

[MrKaos]

I'd like to welcome our water breathing overlords.

Re:What is the net effect?

[Tontoman]

. . . Other sources such as volcanoes emit 100x less than humans do.

You need to reread the article you cite. It states "Human emissions of CO2 are now estimated to be 26.4 Gt per year," and earlier states "The consumption of terrestrial vegetation by animals and by microbes (rotting, in other words) emits about 220 gigatonnes of CO2 every year, while respiration by vegetation emits another 220 Gt. " so non-human processes contribute many more times more CO2 emission than modern humans.

Re:Does it?

[khayman80]

I see very little reason to suspect that the Steig et al 2009 study was wrong to say: "... significant warming extends well beyond the Antarctic Peninsula to cover most of West Antarctica, an area of warming much larger than previously reported. West Antarctic warming exceeds 0.1 C per decade over the past 50 years, and is strongest in winter and spring. Although this is partly offset by autumn cooling in East Antarctica, the continent-wide average near-surface temperature trend is positive."