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Showing Original Post only (View all)More bad news about glaciers — and therefore sea levels [View all]
from Grist's Gristmill blog:
Summer Rupper, a geologist at Brigham Young University, traveled to Bhutan. Her goal in visiting the Himalayan nation in southern Asia was to predict how its glaciers were likely to respond to various climate scenarios over the coming decades. The answer: No matter what, the glaciers are likely to shrink substantially.
Ruppers most conservative findings indicate that even if climate remained steady, almost 10 percent of Bhutans glaciers would vanish within the next few decades. Whats more, the amount of melt water coming off these glaciers could drop by 30 percent.
In fact, snowfall rates in Bhutan would need to almost double to avoid glacier retreat, but its not a likely scenario because warmer temperatures lead to rainfall instead of snow. If glaciers continue to lose more water than they gain, the combination of more rain and more glacial melt will increase the probability of flooding which can be devastating to neighboring villages.
Note the point in that first paragraph: even if climate remained steady. In other words, even if the climate didnt get any warmer, which is almost certainly not going to be the case.
Although Bhutans glaciers are massive and how they react to climate change will affect those downstream from the nation read: the populous nation of Bangladesh melt is a problem for glaciers the world over. And, by extension, for everyone who lives anywhere near the ocean. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://grist.org/news/more-bad-news-about-glaciers-and-therefore-sea-levels/
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Someday, even America's Democrats are going to have make policy that openly acknowledges
villager
Nov 2012
#1
This is a fucking huge issue. I can't believe we're dorking around while the world melts.
Gregorian
Nov 2012
#3
My dad taught me as a young child that people only act in a crisis. Kind of cynical, but partly true
Gregorian
Nov 2012
#8
K&R. It is very sad that the warming is happening much faster than expected. Milder warnings were
Overseas
Nov 2012
#5
The point is that as long as we're still around, the planet won't repair itself.
GliderGuider
Nov 2012
#25
Glaciers, excepting Greenland and Antarctica, could only raise sea levels by about 45 cm.
FarCenter
Nov 2012
#16