It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. It is the end of November and it is already snowing outside. The weather is dropping and, for some, seasonal winter depression is starting to kick in. Most of us think Earth is really warming up and that global warming is a real, significant threat to our environment. How true is this?
This week’s myth says that ice is melting. Greg Roberts states that “ice is expanding in much of Antarctica, contrary to the widespread public belief that global warming is melting the continental ice cap." According to reporters at Daily Tech “global sea ice levels now equal those seen 29 years ago.” These sources support the claim that ice is expanding rather than melting. I disagree with this claim. Ice is shrinking, and, according to Skeptical Science, sources like these fail to see the difference between land ice and sea ice. Though Antarctica is gaining sea ice, it is losing land ice increasingly. All of this causes a rise in sea levels [Global warming Hoax Errors: 5 Skeptics Proven Wrong”, NewsMax.com].
Skeptical Science says that ”Ice mass loss is occurring at an accelerated rate in Greenland, Antarctica and globally from inland glaciers. Arctic sea ice is also falling at an accelerated rate. The exception to this ice loss is the Antarctic sea ice which has been growing despite the warming Southern Ocean. This is due to local factors unique to the area.” In Greenland, there exists a trend where from 2003-2010, ice levels have been decreasing at an accelerated level. The following figure shows a trend that is similar to that of Antarctica.
Figure 1: Greenland loses its sheet at an accelerated rate from 2003-2010.
Contrarians claim that Arctic levels grow and shrink and that since the record low of 2007, ice levels have recovered. However, ice levels are more than just two dimensions and it has been proved that ice is thinning rapidly. In fact the year 2010 was record breaking, showing that 86% of ice cover was under two years old. This suggests that all ice older than the years has been melted. This is quite alarming and disproves any arguments a contrarian may have in regards to ice expanding [Skeptical Science, John Cook].
The evidence is there that ice is not increasing. Sea levels are rising and though sea ice is rising, land ice is melting. The fact that the land ice is melting at an increased rate suggests that we should act on it sooner rather than later. Contrarians like Greg Roberts are preventing us from reaching a reasonable solution to issues like these. In conclusion, I disagree that ice is melting. It is clear that sea levels are rising, and that it is directly related to the land ice melting.
