Melting Antartica adding significantly more to rising seas
Harry Hope
From Bloomberg, 11/23/09:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=atJRfSKS0cOA
Antarctica Loses Ice From East as Well as West, Scientists Say
By Alex Morales
Nov. 23 (Bloomberg) --
Antarctica is losing ice from its larger eastern side as well as the
western part, an indication the southernmost continent may add
�significantly more� to rising seas, researchers in Texas said.
The eastern sheet lost ice at a rate of about 57 billion metric tons a
year from 2002 to 2009, contributing to the continent�s total annual
average loss of about 190 billion tons, scientists at the University
of Texas at Austin said in the journal Nature Geoscience.
http://www.nature.com/ngeo/index.html
United Nations scientists in 2007 said most of Antarctica�s
contribution to rising sea levels amid global warming comes from the
western sheet, with the eastern part either holding steady or gaining
mass.
.......................................................................................................................
The University of Texas scientists used data from the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration�s Gravity Recovery and Climate
Experiment, or Grace, which measures changes in gravitational pull.
NASA�s two Grace satellites were launched in 2002 so prior data using
the same methodology isn�t available.
The researchers� figure for ice loss for the continent as a whole of
190 billion tons, with a margin of error of 77 billion tons, comes in
at the upper end of UN estimates.
The UN climate panel in 2007 said estimates of changes in the mass of
Antarctic ice cover ranged from an annual gain of 50 billion tons to a
yearly loss of 200 billion tons from 1993 through 2003.
Sea-Level Rise
Since 2006, Antarctica�s ice loss may be as high as 220 billion tons a
year, the University of Texas scientists said in the paper.
�In contrast to previous estimates, they indicate that as a whole
Antarctica may soon be contributing significantly more to global
sea-level rise,� the researchers wrote, referring to their own
estimates.
They didn�t say how much the oceans may rise as a result of melting
ice.
NASA researchers last year calculated Antarctica as a whole lost 196
billion metric tons of ice in 2006, enough to raise sea levels by 0.5
millimeters (0.02 inches).
....................................................................................................................
Antarctica has registered the world�s lowest temperature: minus 89
degrees Celsius, or minus 128 degrees Fahrenheit, U.S. Climatic Data
Center scientists say.
_______________________________________________________
Harry
Last Post
<spamtrap...@AT.frankenexpress.de> wrote:
> Harry Hopeless Harry Hopeless <riv...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> > They didn’t say how much the oceans may rise as a result of melting
> > ice.
>
> > NASA researchers last year calculated Antarctica as a whole lost 196
> > billion metric tons of ice in 2006, enough to raise sea levels by 0.5
> > millimeters (0.02 inches).
>
>
> Fortunately I have some green rubber boats on stock.
> Want to buy one?
> Only $US 50000 each! Really a hot deal!
•• Tell Harry Hopeless you have one specially
designed for his wheelchair.
