Sea Ice Ends Year at Same Level as 1979

[briann]

http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=13834

Rapid growth spurt leaves amount of ice at levels seen 29 years ago.

Thanks to a rapid rebound in recent months, global sea ice levels now equal those seen 29 years ago, when the year 1979 also drew to a close.

Ice levels had been tracking lower throughout much of 2008, but rapidly recovered in the last quarter. In fact, the rate of increase from September onward is the fastest rate of change on record, either upwards or downwards.

The data is being reported by the University of Illinois's Arctic Climate Research Center, and is derived from satellite observations of the Northern and Southern hemisphere polar regions.

Each year, millions of square kilometers of sea ice melt and refreeze. However, the mean ice anomaly -- defined as the seasonally-adjusted difference between the current value and the average from 1979-2000, varies much more slowly. That anomaly now stands at just under zero, a value identical to one recorded at the end of 1979, the year satellite record-keeping began.

Sea ice is floating and, unlike the massive ice sheets anchored to bedrock in Greenland and Antarctica, doesn't affect ocean levels. However, due to its transient nature, sea ice responds much faster to changes in temperature or precipitation and is therefore a useful barometer of changing conditions.

Earlier this year, predictions were rife that the North Pole could melt entirely in 2008. Instead, the Arctic ice saw a substantial recovery. Bill Chapman, a researcher with the UIUC's Arctic Center, tells DailyTech this was due in part to colder temperatures in the region. Chapman says wind patterns have also been weaker this year. Strong winds can slow ice formation as well as forcing ice into warmer waters where it will melt.

Why were predictions so wrong? Researchers had expected the newer sea ice, which is thinner, to be less resilient and melt easier. Instead, the thinner ice had less snow cover to insulate it from the bitterly cold air, and therefore grew much faster than expected, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

In May, concerns over disappearing sea ice led the U.S. to officially list the polar bear a threatened species, over objections from experts who claimed the animal's numbers were increasing.

[Zelhar]

Did you mean to imply that this data refutes global warming ? It does not.

[Dr. Dan]

so there was global warming in 1979 also   

[Zelhar]

so there was global warming in 1979 also   

But the glaciers do melt at a fast pace there is a significant glacial melting.

[muman613]

Man-made Global warming is a myth created by the liberal lefties in order to establish socialism and communism in America. Fact is that climate data is not conclusive and many scientists doubt that any warming observed is due to man. Science does show that the earth has gone through many cooling and warming trends in its history.

[Zelhar]

http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/glaciers.html
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-are-glaciers-melting.html

[muman613]

http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/glaciers.html
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-are-glaciers-melting.html

I doubt some of the information of that site because it seems to suggest that man has caused global warming. As I said before there is ample evidence that the world has grown much warmer than it is now and this occured long before man burned fossil fuels. I am not about to get into the argument against man-made global warming here but there are many scientists who dont think that man has caused this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/globalwarming/4029837/Global-warming-Reasons-why-it-might-not-actually-exist.html

Global warming: Reasons why it might not actually exist
Last Updated: 1:51PM GMT 30 Dec 2008

2008 was the year man-made global warming was disproved, according to the Telegraph's Christopher Booker. Sceptics have long argued that there are other explanations for climate change other than man-made CO2 and here we look at some of the arguments put forward by those who believe that global warming is all a hoax.
 


Temperatures are falling, not rising

As Christopher Booker says in his review of 2008, temperatures have been dropping in a wholly unpredicted way over the past year. Last winter, the northern hemisphere saw its greatest snow cover since 1966, which in the northern US states and Canada was dubbed the "winter from hell". This winter looks set to be even worse.

The earth was hotter 1,000 years ago

Evidence from all over the world indicates that the earth was hotter 1,000 years ago than it is today. Research shows that temperatures were higher in what is known as the Mediaeval Warming period than they were in the 1990s.

The earth's surface temperature is not at record levels

According to Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies analysis of surface air temperature measurements, the meteorological December 2007 to November 2008 was the coolest year since 2000. Their data has also shown that the hottest decade of the 20th century was not the 1990s but the 1930s.

Ice is not disappearing

Arctic website Crysophere Today reported that Arctic ice volume was 500,000 sq km greater than this time last year. Additionally, Antarctic sea-ice this year reached its highest level since satellite records began in 1979. Polar bear numbers are also at record levels.

Himalayan glaciers

A report by the UN Environment Program this year claimed that the cause of melting glaciers in the Himalayas was not global warming but the local warming effect of a vast "atmospheric brown cloud" over that region, made up of soot particles from Asia's dramatically increased burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

Temperatures are still dropping

Nasa satellite readings on global temperatures from the University of Alabama show that August was the fourth month this year when temperatures fell below their 30-year average, ie since satellite records began. November 2008 in the USA was only the 39th warmest since records began 113 years ago.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/march2007/090307warminghoax.htm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1363818.ece

PS: I remember about 20 years ago all the scientists were claiming we were moving into a new ice age...Now it's global warming... Hmmm...

[Dr. Dan]

http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/pages/glaciers.html
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-are-glaciers-melting.html

I doubt some of the information of that site because it seems to suggest that man has caused global warming. As I said before there is ample evidence that the world has grown much warmer than it is now and this occured long before man burned fossil fuels. I am not about to get into the argument against man-made global warming here but there are many scientists who dont think that man has caused this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/globalwarming/4029837/Global-warming-Reasons-why-it-might-not-actually-exist.html

Global warming: Reasons why it might not actually exist
Last Updated: 1:51PM GMT 30 Dec 2008

2008 was the year man-made global warming was disproved, according to the Telegraph's Christopher Booker. Sceptics have long argued that there are other explanations for climate change other than man-made CO2 and here we look at some of the arguments put forward by those who believe that global warming is all a hoax.
 


Temperatures are falling, not rising

As Christopher Booker says in his review of 2008, temperatures have been dropping in a wholly unpredicted way over the past year. Last winter, the northern hemisphere saw its greatest snow cover since 1966, which in the northern US states and Canada was dubbed the "winter from hell". This winter looks set to be even worse.

The earth was hotter 1,000 years ago

Evidence from all over the world indicates that the earth was hotter 1,000 years ago than it is today. Research shows that temperatures were higher in what is known as the Mediaeval Warming period than they were in the 1990s.

The earth's surface temperature is not at record levels

According to Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies analysis of surface air temperature measurements, the meteorological December 2007 to November 2008 was the coolest year since 2000. Their data has also shown that the hottest decade of the 20th century was not the 1990s but the 1930s.

Ice is not disappearing

Arctic website Crysophere Today reported that Arctic ice volume was 500,000 sq km greater than this time last year. Additionally, Antarctic sea-ice this year reached its highest level since satellite records began in 1979. Polar bear numbers are also at record levels.

Himalayan glaciers

A report by the UN Environment Program this year claimed that the cause of melting glaciers in the Himalayas was not global warming but the local warming effect of a vast "atmospheric brown cloud" over that region, made up of soot particles from Asia's dramatically increased burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

Temperatures are still dropping

Nasa satellite readings on global temperatures from the University of Alabama show that August was the fourth month this year when temperatures fell below their 30-year average, ie since satellite records began. November 2008 in the USA was only the 39th warmest since records began 113 years ago.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/march2007/090307warminghoax.htm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1363818.ece

PS: I remember about 20 years ago all the scientists were claiming we were moving into a new ice age...Now it's global warming... Hmmm...

no no no..you don't get it!  It's the global warming that causing us to go to a new ice age...geez...

[Zelhar]

Humans are certainly responsible for dramatically increasing atmospheric CO2 levels. In geological history there are other causes for major shifts in the atmosphere and but there is no doubt that humans have become a significant factor on climate. Besides releasing greenhouse gases and destroying the ozone, humans are also destroying the forests, the coral riffs, depleting the ocean from certain types of fish and whales (again breaking the balance in nature by removing the top of the food chain).

I don't know if we solely are responsible for global warming or if indeed the world is going to significantly warm up in the coming decades, but clearly humans are a natural catastrophe of geological proportions.

We should do better than that 

[firster555]

Man-made Global warming is a myth created by the liberal lefties in order to establish socialism and communism in America. Fact is that climate data is not conclusive and many scientists doubt that any warming observed is due to man. Science does show that the earth has gone through many cooling and warming trends in its history.

 Short and simple explanation but perfect in it's scope and honesty. Unfortunetly, many people, even many good people, have been duped. The whole man made global warming myth also takes focus away from the more pressing and immediate problems of the day that we should be dealing with immediately.

[briann]

Humans are certainly responsible for dramatically increasing atmospheric CO2 levels. In geological history there are other causes for major shifts in the atmosphere and but there is no doubt that humans have become a significant factor on climate. Besides releasing greenhouse gases and destroying the ozone, humans are also destroying the forests, the coral riffs, depleting the ocean from certain types of fish and whales (again breaking the balance in nature by removing the top of the food chain).

I don't know if we solely are responsible for global warming or if indeed the world is going to significantly warm up in the coming decades, but clearly humans are a natural catastrophe of geological proportions.

We should do better than that 

No question that Humans can be disastrous......  especially when it comes to destroying the forests, reefs, habitat, etc.   I don't want anyone to trivialize the importance of environmentalism... just because of the stupidity of Al Gore.

ALSO... no one is refuting that the earth's temperature has grown 1.3°F over the past century.

BUT..... the global climate models that 'PREDICT' the temperature will go up are 'fudged' to give the relationship that they WANT.   They are GUESSES..... they already assume that they 'KNOW' the relationship between man-made CO2 and the global climate.

You can 'fudge' these models to get whatever results you want... you can make them say that over the next 100 years there will be a rise of .5 °F or up to 10°F by changing your assumptions. 


Here's another hypothesis for you.....  Look at this chart:


Do you see a nice correlation anywhere?   

I do... that doesn't mean I know for SURE that termperatures can be correlated with solar activity... but if I ONLY look at correlation... I have a pretty good case for that.

I can test this hypothesis by looking at ice caps on other planets (WHich wed assume would be similar if it was related  solar activity)

The ice caps are also receding on Mars and other “uninhabited” planetary objects in our solar system, indicating warming there as well. The current warming trends on Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, Neptune's moon Triton, and Pluto may result, in part, from similar relations to the sun and its activity – just like those that are naturally and slowly warming the Earth.
 
We dont have perfect data for this.... but its CERTAINLY in the realm of possibility.

[Zelhar]

No question that Humans can be disastrous......  especially when it comes to destroying the forests, reefs, habitat, etc.   I don't want anyone to trivialize the importance of environmentalism... just because of the stupidity of Al Gore.

OK so basically I'm in agreement with you. I think we should try to reduce our environmental footprint as much as possible CO2 included. And I also think that CO2 has become an insane obsession while in fact there are far worse emissions like toxic particles from diesel engines, dioxin, etc.

[briann]

No question that Humans can be disastrous......  especially when it comes to destroying the forests, reefs, habitat, etc.   I don't want anyone to trivialize the importance of environmentalism... just because of the stupidity of Al Gore.

OK so basically I'm in agreement with you. I think we should try to reduce our environmental footprint as much as possible CO2 included. And I also think that CO2 has become an insane obsession while in fact there are far worse emissions like toxic particles from diesel engines, dioxin, etc.

Yes, but unfortunately... what we do is now less and less significant compared to what the rest of the world does.. especially the 1.5 Billiion Chinese.  Their country makes the US look like Shangri La.  Its filthy and disgusting, and has a layer of smog that rivals los angeles throughout its industrial area.

[Xoce]

No question that Humans can be disastrous......  especially when it comes to destroying the forests, reefs, habitat, etc.   I don't want anyone to trivialize the importance of environmentalism... just because of the stupidity of Al Gore.

OK so basically I'm in agreement with you. I think we should try to reduce our environmental footprint as much as possible CO2 included. And I also think that CO2 has become an insane obsession while in fact there are far worse emissions like toxic particles from diesel engines, dioxin, etc.

Yes, but unfortunately... what we do is now less and less significant compared to what the rest of the world does.. especially the 1.5 Billiion Chinese.  Their country makes the US look like Shangri La.  Its filthy and disgusting, and has a layer of smog that rivals los angeles throughout its industrial area.

True, briann, and while I suffer this cold I am reminded of the other contribution China gives to the world:  SARS, and all the rest of the diseases they incubate/hatch/mutate/spread.