Comments on: Greenland Ice Sheet changes; new Fettweis paper

By: Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:02:15 +0000

http://stratus.ssec.wisc.edu/products/rtpolarwinds/modis/NTERRA11.GIF for May 19, 2008, 15:34 GMT

Hang on to your hat. That link shows a local weather event pumping heat from the open water of the Davis Straights onto the Greenland Ice sheet.

By: Greenland » Do your bit for Greenland - drive your 4x4 around.

Greenland » Do your bit for Greenland - drive your 4x4 around. — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:58:08 +0000

[...] Greenland Ice Sheet changes; new Fettweis paperIt also derives from an analysis of the models which shows a temperature increase in Greenland (area 1) of around 2 degrees, which is offset by greater precipitation. Apart from concern over the idea that calving and sliding is likely … [...]

By: Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:38:38 +0000

The other thing that is not in the paper and is not in GCM is “small scale” weather patterns driven by temperature differentials between warm ocean waters (or the latent heat over them) and ice. These weather patterns can produce substantial amounts of rain. Rain melts thin ice, and causes structurally failure in thick ice.

I am disappointed that there is no foundation engineering analysis of the strength of the basement ice.

The temperature anomaly in the 1930s was brief. The effect was like your turbine installer tossing you a wrench from form 8 feet above you. You can catch it easily. However, if he is on a tower 80 feet high above you, then catching the thrown tools is going to cause some pain. That is: the longer Greenland melts, the more pain it is going to cause, and the function is not linear. Moreover, WAIS and EAIS want to start tossing us stuff also.

Climate science is like a beautiful silk carpet. GIS, WAIS, and EAIS are a nasty lump under that carpet that nobody has talked about since Newt Gingrich grabbed the EPA’s purse strings 20 years ago.

It is time for Newt to face up to the consequences of his actions.

By: fergusbrown

fergusbrown — Sun, 04 May 2008 17:56:12 +0000

This is pretty much what I thought, but then what’s the point of the paper?

If they’re not going to look at the stuff which makes a difference, there won’t be much of a difference to see.

Thanks for looking, anyway.

By: William Connolley

William Connolley — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:08:17 +0000

I skimmed the paper. I’d say this was a more-of-the-same kind of paper; youll never get very exciting changes without throwing in some major calving/sliding type stuff, and that isn’t in the current (GCM) models. Mind you I’m not saying that it *will* cause large ice oss; only that you can’t get much without it.