Australian Politics Forum - Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995

falah

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Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995
Apr 6^th, 2012 at 11:31am

Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995

A VAST ice shelf in the Antarctic peninsula, a hotspot for global warming, has shrunk by 85 per cent in 17 years, the European Space Agency (ESA) says.

Images taken by its Envisat satellite show that the so-called Larsen B ice shelf decreased from 11,512 square kilometres in 1995 to only 1670 sq km today.

Larsen B is one of three ice shelves that run from north to south along the eastern side of the peninsula, the tongue of land that projects towards South America.

From 1995 to 2002, Larsen B experienced several calving events in which parts of the shelf broke away. It had a major break-up in 2002 when half of the remainder disintegrated.

Larsen A broke up in January 1995.

"Larsen C so far has been stable in area, but satellite observations have shown thinning and an increasing duration of melt events in summer," the agency said.

Ice shelves are thick floating mats of ice, attached to the shore, that are created by the runoff into the sea from glaciers.

Scientists say they are extremely sensitive to changes in atmospheric temperature and can be hollowed out from below by warmer ocean currents.

The northern Antarctic peninsula has been subject to atmospheric warming about 2.5C over the past 50 years, a figure that is several times greater than the global average.

Ice shelves are not the same as ice sheets, the vast blankets of frozen water that cover Antarctica.

If these melted, even partially, they would drive up sea levels, threatening small island states and coastal cities...

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/vast-ice-shelf-in-antarctic-has-shrunk-by-85pc-since-1995/story-e6frf7lf-1226320238434

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MOTR Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 6646	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #1 - Apr 6^th, 2012 at 12:03pm We can't say we weren't warned. It makes me physically sick to think about it too much.
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Swagman Gold Member Offline Beware of cheap imitations...... Posts: 15095 Illawarra NSW Gender:	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #2 - Apr 6^th, 2012 at 2:01pm So why aren't we under water?
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falah

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Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995
Reply #3 - Apr 6^th, 2012 at 2:37pm

Swagman wrote on Apr 6^th, 2012 at 2:01pm:

So why aren't we under water? Undecided

Because the melting is just beginning. Ice shelves do not raise sea levels much because they are already displacing water to start with eg. they are already sitting on water.

The thing is, once the ice shelves melt, the warm seas get closer to the ice caps and melting will occur faster.

As ice shelved effectively act as stoppers to glaciers, presumeably glaciers will start to flow into the sea faster too.

Another issue is the ice shelves are white, and therefore reflect the suns's heat. As they disappear, more heat will be absorbed into seas and the atmosphere. This will cause faster melting of ice caps. A snowball effect in reverse you might say.

Quote:

Snowball effect:
(adj.) descriptive of an entity or situation where something once small and relatively insignificant grows exponentially at a swift pace, engulfing.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=snowball%20effect

Quote:

Snowball effect is a figurative term for a process that starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger (graver, more serious), and perhaps potentially dangerous or disastrous (a vicious circle, a "spiral of decline"), though it might be beneficial instead (a virtuous circle).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowball_effect

Sea levels could rise quite quickly and suddenly, even though we will see the precursors slowly unfolding over a period of time beforehand.

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Annie Anthrax Gold Member Offline Take the plan, spin it sideways Posts: 7057 Gender:	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #4 - Apr 6^th, 2012 at 2:41pm MOTR wrote on Apr 6^th, 2012 at 12:03pm: We can't say we weren't warned. It makes me physically sick to think about it too much. Me too.
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bobbythefap1 Gold Member Offline Posts: 7026 Listen now to the rain	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #5 - Apr 6^th, 2012 at 3:00pm Swagman wrote on Apr 6^th, 2012 at 2:01pm: So why aren't we under water? So for it to be of concern it has to effect us directly?
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Annie Anthrax Gold Member Offline Take the plan, spin it sideways Posts: 7057 Gender:	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #6 - Apr 6^th, 2012 at 3:04pm It will effect us directly.
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bobbythefap1 Gold Member Offline Posts: 7026 Listen now to the rain	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #7 - Apr 6^th, 2012 at 3:05pm Annie Anthrax wrote on Apr 6^th, 2012 at 3:04pm: It will effect us directly. I know but by then it will be too late
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Swagman

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Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995
Reply #8 - Apr 6^th, 2012 at 3:47pm

Annie Anthrax wrote on Apr 6^th, 2012 at 2:41pm:

MOTR wrote on Apr 6^th, 2012 at 12:03pm:

We can't say we weren't warned. It makes me physically sick to think about it too much.

Me too.

bobbythefap1 wrote on Apr 6^th, 2012 at 3:00pm:

Swagman wrote on Apr 6^th, 2012 at 2:01pm:

So why aren't we under water? Undecided

So for it to be of concern it has to effect us directly?

Detrimentally yes....

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BlOoDy RiPpEr Gold Member Offline aussie-patriot.com Posts: 2475 Sydney Gender:	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #9 - Apr 7^th, 2012 at 4:33pm but its only melting on one side, the other side has been developing more ice, most would say it has more to do with movement of the magnetic pole
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chimera Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 11912 Armidale Gender:	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #10 - Apr 7^th, 2012 at 5:08pm Snow is not magnetic except at Thredbo.
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bobbythefap1 Gold Member Offline Posts: 7026 Listen now to the rain	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #11 - Apr 7^th, 2012 at 5:12pm BlOoDy RiPpEr wrote on Apr 7^th, 2012 at 4:33pm: but its only melting on one side, the other side has been developing more ice, most would say it has more to do with movement of the magnetic pole Or the angle of the sun
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MOTR Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 6646	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #12 - Apr 7^th, 2012 at 5:50pm BlOoDy RiPpEr wrote on Apr 7^th, 2012 at 4:33pm: but its only melting on one side, the other side has been developing more ice, most would say it has more to do with movement of the magnetic pole Most fools might say, but I don't hear too many scientists saying anything of the kind.
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chimera Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 11912 Armidale Gender:	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #13 - Apr 7^th, 2012 at 6:02pm The north magnetic pole is moving towards Russia and there is abnormally extensive sea-ice off Siberia. The wobble of the sun, light from higher vibration spirits and the Greek collapse have melted Greenland's icecap.
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MOTR Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 6646	Re: Antarctic ice shelf has shrunk by 85pc since 1995 Reply #14 - Apr 7^th, 2012 at 6:05pm Sorry, I need to read these things more closely.
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