Greenland Ice Melting Faster Than Fantasy Climate Resilience Plans Can Match...

[Fred Bloggs]

Ice melt on Greenland is consistently breaking records:

https://nsidc.org/greenland-today/

The melt doesn\'t re-freeze, it drains through the ice to the bottom and flows out to sea, contributing to sea level rise and Gulf Stream slowdown. The ice sheet is very unlikely to be replenished by snowfall.

\"So the melt water contributes to rising sea level in two ways: (1) water from the ice surface finds its way to the ocean, contributing directly to sea level rise, and (2) the water\'s ability to speed flowing glacial ice towards the ocean also contributes to sea level rise. If all the ice that is on Greenland were to melt or calve into the ocean, global sea level would rise 7.2 meters (23.6 feet). Melting Greenland ice increases global sea level by at least 0.5 millimeters each year, though recent studies suggest this rate may be increasing. Scientists anticipate that even if greenhouse gas emissions could be cut to zero in the 2020s, Greenland’s melting ice would still contribute to at least 0.27 meters (0.90 feet) of sea level rise over the next century.\"

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/greenlands-ice-melting

When Antarctica goes, the sea level rise will be 10X.

 

[Anthony William Sloman]

On Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 1:40:20 AM UTC+10, Fred Bloggs wrote:

Ice melt on Greenland is consistently breaking records:

https://nsidc.org/greenland-today/

The melt doesn\'t re-freeze, it drains through the ice to the bottom and flows out to sea, contributing to sea level rise and Gulf Stream slowdown. The ice sheet is very unlikely to be replenished by snowfall.

It certainly is being replenished by snowfall, but nowhere near enough to make up for the melting. The GRACE sattelite data shows that it is losing about 280 gigatons of ice per year

https://grace.jpl.nasa.gov/resources/30/greenland-ice-loss-2002-2021/

That is only about 0.8mm of sea level rise per year, which isn\'t worth worrying about. What is says about the mechanical stability if the ice sheet is more worrying - once it starts sliding off into the sea it\'s likely to slide quite fast, if geological history is anything to go by

\"So the melt water contributes to rising sea level in two ways: (1) water from the ice surface finds its way to the ocean, contributing directly to sea level rise, and (2) the water\'s ability to speed flowing glacial ice towards the ocean also contributes to sea level rise. If all the ice that is on Greenland were to melt or calve into the ocean, global sea level would rise 7.2 meters (23.6 feet). Melting Greenland ice increases global sea level by at least 0.5 millimeters each year, though recent studies suggest this rate may be increasing. Scientists anticipate that even if greenhouse gas emissions could be cut to zero in the 2020s, Greenland’s melting ice would still contribute to at least 0.27 meters (0.90 feet) of sea level rise over the next century.\"

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/greenlands-ice-melting

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/20/world/greenland-ice-sheet-melt-sea-level-rise-climate/index.html

says much the same, about Greenland.

> When Antarctica goes, the sea level rise will be 10X.

If the whole of the Antarctic ice sheet slid off it would raise sea levels by 65 metres, but that is remarkably unlikely.

The West Antarctic ice sheet is much more vulnerable than the rest, but that is only about 4 metres of sea level rise.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

 

[server]

On Sat, 30 Sep 2023 08:40:13 -0700 (PDT), Fred Bloggs
<bloggs.fredbloggs.fred@gmail.com> wrote:

Ice melt on Greenland is consistently breaking records:

https://nsidc.org/greenland-today/

The melt doesn\'t re-freeze, it drains through the ice to the bottom and flows out to sea, contributing to sea level rise and Gulf Stream slowdown. The ice sheet is very unlikely to be replenished by snowfall.

\"So the melt water contributes to rising sea level in two ways:
(1) water from the ice surface finds its way to the ocean, contributing directly to sea level rise, and
(2) the water\'s ability to speed flowing glacial ice towards the ocean also contributes to sea level rise.
If all the ice that is on Greenland were to melt or calve into the ocean, global sea level would rise 7.2 meters (23.6 feet).
Melting Greenland ice increases global sea level by at least 0.5 millimeters each year, though recent studies suggest this rate may be increasing.
Scientists anticipate that even if greenhouse gas emissions could be cut to zero in the 2020s,
Greenland’s melting ice would still contribute to at least 0.27 meters (0.90 feet) of sea level rise over the next century.\"

100 years x 0.5 mm/a = 50 mm (0.05 m). Where did they get that 270 mm
for a century ?

To get 7.2 m sea level rise will take 14 400 year at 0.05 mm/a or 2666
years at 0.27 m/century.

It should be noted hat on both Greenland and Antarctica, the ground
level is about 1 km below sea level, so the melting of the ice that is
currently under the sea level does not increase the sea level. Only
after 10 000-100 000 years will the bottom rise is emptying the water
into the oceans.

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/greenlands-ice-melting

When Antarctica goes, the sea level rise will be 10X.

 

[Fred Bloggs]

On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 2:59:27 PM UTC-4, upsid...@downunder.com wrote:

On Sat, 30 Sep 2023 08:40:13 -0700 (PDT), Fred Bloggs
bloggs.fred...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ice melt on Greenland is consistently breaking records:

https://nsidc.org/greenland-today/

The melt doesn\'t re-freeze, it drains through the ice to the bottom and flows out to sea, contributing to sea level rise and Gulf Stream slowdown. The ice sheet is very unlikely to be replenished by snowfall.

\"So the melt water contributes to rising sea level in two ways:
(1) water from the ice surface finds its way to the ocean, contributing directly to sea level rise, and
(2) the water\'s ability to speed flowing glacial ice towards the ocean also contributes to sea level rise.
If all the ice that is on Greenland were to melt or calve into the ocean, global sea level would rise 7.2 meters (23.6 feet).
Melting Greenland ice increases global sea level by at least 0.5 millimeters each year, though recent studies suggest this rate may be increasing.
Scientists anticipate that even if greenhouse gas emissions could be cut to zero in the 2020s,
Greenland’s melting ice would still contribute to at least 0.27 meters (0.90 feet) of sea level rise over the next century.\"
100 years x 0.5 mm/a = 50 mm (0.05 m). Where did they get that 270 mm
for a century ?

To get 7.2 m sea level rise will take 14 400 year at 0.05 mm/a or 2666
years at 0.27 m/century.

It should be noted hat on both Greenland and Antarctica, the ground
level is about 1 km below sea level, so the melting of the ice that is
currently under the sea level does not increase the sea level. Only
after 10 000-100 000 years will the bottom rise is emptying the water
into the oceans.

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/greenlands-ice-melting

When Antarctica goes, the sea level rise will be 10X.

\"Greenland lies at an average elevation of 1792 m above sea level and is therefore one of the highest countries in the world. The highest mountain peak (Gunnbjørns Fjeld) is at 3,694 meters.\"

https://www.worlddata.info/america/greenland/index.php#:~:text=Greenland%20lies%20at%20an%20average,Fjeld)%20is%20at%203%2C694%20meters.

\"Antarctica is the highest continent on Earth: average elevation is 8,200ft (2500m). The elevation at the South Pole is 9,300ft (2835m). The highest point on the icecap is in Australian Antarctic Territory at 13,451ft (4100m), at 82° 20’S, 56° 30’E. Mount Vinson is the highest mountain in Antarctica at 16,050ft (4892m).\"

https://antarctic-logistics.com/about-antarctica/antarctic-environment/

 

[Fred Bloggs]

On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 12:54:48 PM UTC-4, Anthony William Sloman wrote:

On Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 1:40:20 AM UTC+10, Fred Bloggs wrote:
Ice melt on Greenland is consistently breaking records:

https://nsidc.org/greenland-today/

The melt doesn\'t re-freeze, it drains through the ice to the bottom and flows out to sea, contributing to sea level rise and Gulf Stream slowdown. The ice sheet is very unlikely to be replenished by snowfall.
It certainly is being replenished by snowfall, but nowhere near enough to make up for the melting. The GRACE sattelite data shows that it is losing about 280 gigatons of ice per year

https://grace.jpl.nasa.gov/resources/30/greenland-ice-loss-2002-2021/

That is only about 0.8mm of sea level rise per year, which isn\'t worth worrying about. What is says about the mechanical stability if the ice sheet is more worrying - once it starts sliding off into the sea it\'s likely to slide quite fast, if geological history is anything to go by
\"So the melt water contributes to rising sea level in two ways: (1) water from the ice surface finds its way to the ocean, contributing directly to sea level rise, and (2) the water\'s ability to speed flowing glacial ice towards the ocean also contributes to sea level rise. If all the ice that is on Greenland were to melt or calve into the ocean, global sea level would rise 7.2 meters (23.6 feet). Melting Greenland ice increases global sea level by at least 0.5 millimeters each year, though recent studies suggest this rate may be increasing. Scientists anticipate that even if greenhouse gas emissions could be cut to zero in the 2020s, Greenland’s melting ice would still contribute to at least 0.27 meters (0.90 feet) of sea level rise over the next century.\"

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/greenlands-ice-melting
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/20/world/greenland-ice-sheet-melt-sea-level-rise-climate/index.html

says much the same, about Greenland.
When Antarctica goes, the sea level rise will be 10X.
If the whole of the Antarctic ice sheet slid off it would raise sea levels by 65 metres, but that is remarkably unlikely.

Antarctica has designs on becoming a tropical rain forest again. And Greenland wants to become green again.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/melting-greenland-ice-sheet-will-cause-at-least-ten-inches-of-sea-level-rise-study-finds-180980675/

The West Antarctic ice sheet is much more vulnerable than the rest, but that is only about 4 metres of sea level rise.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney

 

[Anthony William Sloman]

On Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 11:29:50 AM UTC+11, Fred Bloggs wrote:

On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 12:54:48 PM UTC-4, Anthony William Sloman wrote:
On Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 1:40:20 AM UTC+10, Fred Bloggs wrote:
Ice melt on Greenland is consistently breaking records:

https://nsidc.org/greenland-today/

The melt doesn\'t re-freeze, it drains through the ice to the bottom and flows out to sea, contributing to sea level rise and Gulf Stream slowdown. The ice sheet is very unlikely to be replenished by snowfall.
It certainly is being replenished by snowfall, but nowhere near enough to make up for the melting. The GRACE sattelite data shows that it is losing about 280 gigatons of ice per year

https://grace.jpl.nasa.gov/resources/30/greenland-ice-loss-2002-2021/

That is only about 0.8mm of sea level rise per year, which isn\'t worth worrying about. What is says about the mechanical stability if the ice sheet is more worrying - once it starts sliding off into the sea it\'s likely to slide quite fast, if geological history is anything to go by
\"So the melt water contributes to rising sea level in two ways: (1) water from the ice surface finds its way to the ocean, contributing directly to sea level rise, and (2) the water\'s ability to speed flowing glacial ice towards the ocean also contributes to sea level rise. If all the ice that is on Greenland were to melt or calve into the ocean, global sea level would rise 7.2 meters (23.6 feet). Melting Greenland ice increases global sea level by at least 0.5 millimeters each year, though recent studies suggest this rate may be increasing. Scientists anticipate that even if greenhouse gas emissions could be cut to zero in the 2020s, Greenland’s melting ice would still contribute to at least 0.27 meters (0.90 feet) of sea level rise over the next century.\"

https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/climate-change-impacts/greenlands-ice-melting
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/20/world/greenland-ice-sheet-melt-sea-level-rise-climate/index.html

says much the same, about Greenland.

When Antarctica goes, the sea level rise will be 10X.

If the whole of the Antarctic ice sheet slid off it would raise sea levels by 65 metres, but that is remarkably unlikely.

Antarctica has designs on becoming a tropical rain forest again. And Greenland wants to become green again.

Both are lumps of rock, and don\'t have any volition at all.

Greenland may well become green again - it managed it some 400.000 years ago during a warmer than usual interglacial.
Antarctica won\'t start looking like a tropical forest in the next few million years - that would take quite a lot of continental drift to get the right ocean currents big enough to deliver the heat required.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/melting-greenland-ice-sheet-will-cause-at-least-ten-inches-of-sea-level-rise-study-finds-180980675/

The West Antarctic ice sheet is much more vulnerable than the rest, but that is only about 4 metres of sea level rise.

--
Bill Sloman, Sydney