Greenland Ice Sheet Melts At Record Rate In 2010

RedEaredSlider writes "A study using satellite and ground-based data is showing the Greenland ice sheets are setting a record for the areas exposed to melting and the rate at which they are doing so. NASA says 2010 was a record warm year, and temperatures in the Arctic were a good 3 degrees C over normal."

Comments

The meaning of random

[Dunbal]

From TFA: Tedesco said if the variability were random, then over a 30-year period one would expect the record years to be evenly distributed

What absolute rubbish from yet another climate scientist who fails to understand random numbers. Random numbers does not mean "evenly distributed" numbers - especially over such a small sample size. It could be the same number every year for 5 years in a row and still be random, just like you can throw "6" several times in a row with dice and it does not mean that the dice are loaded. That's what random MEANS. Look at the stock market with it's bull runs and bear markets - yet many claim that it's a totally random phenomenon despite this, and tests for randomness support this idea. When he has 500,000 points of data I will start trusting tests for "randomness". But under 30 years' worth of average temperatures and a guy's opinion?

While I don't have a clue on whether his data is true or not, it certainly concerns me that someone who makes such unfounded statements is doing this research in the same way I would be concerned about a paramedic performing a neurosurgical procedure. Apparently he's another pseudoscientist already set on his idea and is collecting information to support his bias.

It's all very good to observe this process but since there is little we can do to stop it, at least we should make an effort to observe and document it properly to see if someone can come up with a plausible, reproducible explanation for it. Putting alarmist, or worse, rabid green "spin" on it is only going to discredit the research in the long run.

Re:The meaning of random

[Pyro.Exe]

Thank you sir for pointing out these points. People don't realize that the Earth is been around for millions of years and just because we see a changing in a cycle doesn't mean we are causing it. The earth will be here weather we on it or not. Life will live on just as it did without us. Murphy's Law of Research: Enough research will tend to support your theory.

Re:The meaning of random

[Burnhard]

How can you be so sure that there is little we can do to stop it?

Because it's got absolutely nothing to do with man-made CO2 and is just so much statistical noise certain politically motivated activists want to attribute to man?

Re:The meaning of random

[Burnhard]

This is a familiar meme, but it's complete crap. Weather is what happens when it gets colder. Climate is what happens when it gets warmer. In reality, climate is weather integrated over time. So if, for example, there's been a reduction in hurricane and typhoon intensity over the last 30 years, which completely contradicts the scare stories put out by climate botherers, you will put it down to some local anomaly. Whereas if it were increasing, you would say it's caused by man-made CO2.

Re:The meaning of random

[haruchai]

Don't most Americans believe the Universe is only 6000 years old? And that we can't possibly affect climate because God won't allow it. What is this "millions of years" claptrap?