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For the First Time On Record, Human-Caused Climate Change Has Rerouted an Entire River (washingtonpost.com)
A team of scientists on Monday documented what they're describing as the first case of large-scale river reorganization as a result of human-caused climate change (Editor's note: could be paywalled; alternative source). From a report: They found that in mid-2016, the retreat of a very large glacier in Canada's Yukon territory led to the rerouting of its vast stream of meltwater from one river system to another -- cutting down flow to the Yukon's largest lake, and channeling freshwater to the Pacific Ocean south of Alaska, rather than to the Bering Sea. The researchers dubbed the reorganization an act of "rapid river piracy," saying that such events had often occurred in the Earth's geologic past, but never before, to their knowledge, as a sudden present-day event. They also called it "geologically instantaneous." "The river wasn't what we had seen a few years ago. It was a faded version of its former self," lead study author Daniel Shugar of the University of Washington at Tacoma said of the Slims River, which lost much of its flow because of the glacial change. "It was barely flowing at all. Literally, every day, we could see the water level dropping, we could see sandbars popping out in the river."
I'm waiting for the climate deniers to show up and tell us why this is a good thing.
"The researchers found only a minuscule probability that the retreat of Kaskawulsh glacier — which retracted by nearly half a mile from 1956 to 2007 — could have occurred in what they called a “constant climate.” They therefore inferred that the events in question could be attributed to human-caused climate change."
So they think it's unlikely to have occurred in a "constant climate", and among the imaginable range of non-constant climates they hinted the events *could* be attributed to "human-caused climate change". (Whatever that exactly means, given that there are infinite causes of climate change, many of them significant.)
So, logically, WaPo titles the article "For the first time on record, human-caused climate change has rerouted an entire river." Good job, journalists.
Addendum to my last:
Note that I live near the Mississippi River, which, until it was leveed all to hell-and-gone, routinely shifted its channel from year to year. So the notion of a river rerouting itself isn't terribly surprising to me, nor is it really that big a deal, unless it reroutes itself over someone's house or a town (which the Mississippi used to do from time to time in the 19th Century).
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
The reason for the story in WashPo and the other story about the Crack in the Greenland outlet glacier, is due to the Budget Bills, Transition 2017 and 2018, are still held in committee in Congress. The most likely outcome is a continuing resolution to carry the Fed through to 30 Sept. 2017, i.e. New FY.
Counter example #1: Sultan Sea, created by very error prone California Development Company, boy they Really Developed This by major error, in 1905.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea
Glaciers to not respond nor have sensitivity to meteorology on hourly, daily, monthly, seasonally, yearly or even 30-year intervals.
The seasonal snow, as sediment, in the accumulation area has no relationship to the Glacier (Glacier Ice) mass balance!
Jajajajajajajajajaja
>>saying that such events had often occurred in the Earth's geologic past, but never before, to their knowledge, as a sudden present-day event.
And also we're now going to blame ANY climate change on mankind, even if it happened in the past, and even though the earth's climate has been constantly changing for the past 5 billion years.
With claims it's "human-caused" without any scientific basis. And all these smart people lauding this shit can't answer how much of it is human contribution. Is it 5%? 100%? I'm not denying climate change, hell, i'm not denying that it's in part human cause... but screaming that human-caused climate change rerouted a river is a fucking hyperbole.
Paid for by the people that profit from the fear mongering.
Bunch of chicken little politicians making money.
News flash, the Earth changes, and always will. The weather has always been impossible to predict more than 10 days in advance. We only have 7 days notice because now we have satellites in space watching clouds and rain move.
The old timers will tell you. It's a long established pattern before the news agencies started hyping it up.
~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
Note that I live near the Mississippi River, which, until it was leveed all to hell-and-gone, routinely shifted its channel from year to year. So the notion of a river rerouting itself isn't terribly surprising to me, nor is it really that big a deal, unless it reroutes itself over someone's house or a town (which the Mississippi used to do from time to time in the 19th Century).
Sure, but this is well known from rivers that run over a plain - they tend to meander, silt builds up etc. The effect is rather more dramatic when the source dries up or goes to another river. It is the same, basic processes that are behind, but whereas the meandering river phenomenon is common, the interesting thing about this case is that it can be attributed directly to climate change: the glacier has melted away to such a degree that it now drains away through an entirely different channel. It would be great if people would not be so dismissive about these things - the scientists that bring these things up don't do so in order to get high approval rating on social media; they aren't airheaded celebrities craving attention; they point out observations that they think are potentially important, and which they suggest you should have a look at. It may feel great saying stuff like 'Yeah, shit happens; so what?" - right until the day when shit happens to you, particularly if you could have done something about it if only you could have been bothered.
With claims it's "human-caused" without any scientific basis.
No, showing the reasoning with references to the hundreds of peer reviewed scholarly papers that provide the basis for that reasoning is with scientific basis.
"Without scientific basis" means without reference to the scholarly literature, and generally also without sound reasoning or true axioms.
And all these smart people lauding this shit can't answer how much of it is human contribution. Is it 5%? 100%?
As of 2000 it's about 80% of the past 100 years, and about 110% of the past 50 years.
I'm not denying climate change, hell, i'm not denying that it's in part human cause... but screaming that human-caused climate change rerouted a river is a fucking hyperbole.
The current climate change is human caused. That's not hyperbole. It's certainly not fucking hyperbole. And calling something fucking hyperbole without any scientific basis is ironic considering how your post began.