Humans Are to Blame for Earth's Rapidly Melting Glaciers

[mick silver]

Humans Are to Blame for Earth's Rapidly Melting Glaciershttp://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/p/livesci_logo_73.jpg (http://www.livescience.com/) By Laura Geggel, Staff Writer 20 hours ago












http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/ITDMEkKv.AofSeZYIevW.A--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTIwMTtxPTc1O3c9MzAw/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/LiveScience.com/Melting-Glacier.jpg1408035161 (http://news.yahoo.com/humans-blame-earths-rapidly-melting-glaciers-181058308.html#) .View photo

Human influence is melting glaciers, including the Artesonraju Glacier in Peru.





The steady melt of glacial ice around the world is largely due to man-made factors, such as greenhouse-gas emissions and aerosols, a new study finds.



Humans have caused roughly a quarter of the globe's glacial loss between 1851 and 2010, and about 69 percent of glacial melting between 1991 and 2010, the study suggests.
"In a sense, we got a confirmation that by now, it is really mostly humans that are responsible for the melting glaciers," said lead researcher Ben Marzeion, an associate professor of meteorology and geophysics at the University of Innsbruck in Austria.
Vanishing glaciers are often associated with global warming, and other studies have estimated past ice loss and made projections of future melt. But until now, researchers were unsure how much glacial loss was tied to human factors (http://www.livescience.com/40006-united-nations-report-calls-global-warming-unprecedented-infographic.html).
"So far, it has been unclear how much of the observed mass losses are caused by humans rather than natural climate variations," Regine Hock, a professor of geophysics at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who was not involved in the study, wrote an in email to Live Science.
The researchers used "state-of-the art modeling techniques," in their work, Hock said.
The research team relied on 12 climate models, most of them from the latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (http://www.livescience.com/topics/ipcc-the-intergovernmental-panel-on-climate-change-report/), an international group of climate-change experts convened by the United Nations. By combining the models, along with data from the Randolph Glacier Inventory (a catalog of nearly 200,000 glaciers (http://www.livescience.com/45454-glacier-inventory.html)), the researchers created a computer model that included only natural contributions to glacier melt, such as volcanic eruptions and solar variability, and another model with both human and natural factors.
Using data from 1851 to 2010, the researchers compared the two models with real measurements of glaciers to determine which one better represented reality. The study did not include glaciers in Antarctica, because not enough data on the region was available during the 159 years covered by the study.
The model with the man-made influences was a better fit, they found.
"Glaciers thin and retreat around the world as a result of rising air temperature, but the glaciers don't care whether or not the increase in temperature is due to natural or human causes," Hock said. "Over the last 150 years, most of the mass loss was due to natural climate variability, caused, for example, by volcanic eruptions or changes in solar activity.
"However, during the last 20 years, almost 70 percent of the glacier mass changes were caused by climate change due to humans," she wrote.
Interestingly, the study found that glaciers, which are slow to react to climate change, are still recovering from the end of the Little Ice Age (http://www.livescience.com/18205-ice-age-volcanoes-sea-ice.html) that lasted from the 14th to the 19th centuries. During the Little Ice Age, temperatures were about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celsius) colder than they are today.
Warmer temperatures after the Little Ice Age affected the glaciers. "Essentially, what we find is that glaciers would be melting without any human influence," Marzeion told Live Science.
The melt, however, would not be happening as quickly as it is today if it weren't for man-made contributions, such as aerosols (http://www.livescience.com/2420-soot-plays-big-role-global-warming.html) from wood or coal fires, he said. Aerosols are particles suspended in the atmosphere that absorb and scatter the sun's radiation.
Even if climate change from both man-made and natural causes stopped today, the glaciers would continue to melt and are projected to raise ocean levels by 2.7 inches (7 centimeters) during this century, Marzeion said.
As global temperatures continue to rise (http://www.livescience.com/40444-climate-change-will-not-spare-global-ocean.html), the glaciers will continue to disappear. The melt may provide more water for irrigation and other needs, but it won't be sustainable because the glaciers may eventually vanish, Marzeion said. In the meantime, people can try to reduce man-made contributions to global warming and adapt to the changing planet, he said.
The study was published online today (Aug. 14) in the journal Science.
Follow Laura Geggel on Twitter @LauraGeggel (http://www.twitter.com/laurageggel) and Google+ (https://plus.google.com/+LauraGeggel/posts). Follow Live Science @livescience (https://twitter.com/LiveScience), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#!/livescience) & Google+ (https://plus.google.com/101164570444913213957/posts). Original article on Live Science (http://www.livescience.com/47360-manmade-glacier-loss.html).

[I].


Click to view comments
View Comments (981)

http://geo.yahoo.com/p?s=13697051&test=stream_qa&btype=static&t=0.1856377046488401

[mick silver]

I wonder if all the goverments in the world using they's help http://ts2.mm.bing.net/th?id=HN.608003357454044360&pid=1.7

[Celtic Rogue]

http://www.iceagenow.com/Growing_Glaciers.htm



Glaciers growing on Mt. Shasta - Record snowfall to spur even more growth
28 Mar 11 - The media has done a great job of covering this up, but the fact is that all seven glaciers on California’s Mount Shasta are growing. See Glaciers growing on Mt. Shasta (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_growing_on_Mt_Shasta.htm)
http://www.iceagenow.com/Mount_shasta_1984.jpg





Glaciers growing in Italy
8 Feb 11 - Glaciers are growing on two different mountains in Italy - Mount Canin and Mount Montasio. Will you see this in the main-stream media?
Glaciers growing in Italy (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_growing_in_Italy.htm)
http://www.iceagenow.com/Mount_Montasio.jpg



India - Record snowfall revives 2,000 glaciers
17 Feb 11 - Already more snowfall this month than
1998 record for the entire month. Think you'll see
this in the mainstream media?
See India - Record snowfall revives 2,000 glaciers (http://www.iceagenow.com/India-Record_snowfall_revives_2000_glaciers.htm)



Area Of Thick Arctic Ice Doubled In Last Two Years (http://www.iceagenow.com/Area_of_thick_arctic_ice_doubled_in_two_years.htm)
31 Dec 10 - It has doubled since 2008.
http://stevengoddard.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/pips12_30_2010vs2008.gif?w=500&h=500 (http://stevengoddard.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/pips12_30_2010vs2008.gif)






Antarctica - Highest September snowfall on record -
Third largest sea-ice extent
17 Oct 10 - September 2010 was the third largest sea ice extent on record, behind 2006 (largest) and 2007 (second largest).
See Antarctica - Highest September snowfall on record (http://www.iceagenow.com/Antarctica-Highest_September_snowfall_on_record.htm)
http://www.iceagenow.com/antarctica-map.jpg





Arctic Ice Thickening
2010 Ice Gain vs. 2008
27 Sep 10 - Don't let them scare
those global warming bucks right
out of your wallet.
See Arctic Ice Thickening (http://www.iceagenow.com/Arctic_Ice_Thickening.htm)

http://co2insanity.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/2010icegain.gif?w=500&h=502 (http://co2insanity.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/2010icegain.gif)






Giant Iceberg Breaks off Growing – Growing! - Greenland Glacier
12 Aug 10 – You’ve probably seen those articles about a huge ice island breaking off a Greenland glacier. Many of those articles are trying to blame global warming. But before you buy into that, please be aware that Petermann Glacier has been advancing for years.
Giant Iceberg Breaks off Growing – Growing! - Greenland Glacier (http://www.iceagenow.com/Giant_Iceberg_Breaks_Off_Growing%E2%80%93Growing-Greenland_Glacier.htm)
http://www.iceagenow.com/Petermann_5Aug10.jpg





Glacier Accused of Global Warming Denies Allegation
Among other things, this article talks about "Gerry Mander, a spokesman for global warming guru Albert Arnold Bore, who won awards for his bullshit propaganda film ‘A Convenient Pack of Lies.’"
See Glacier Accused of Global Warming Denies Allegation (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glacier_Accused_of_Global_Warming_Denies_Allegatio n.htm)
http://www.iceagenow.com/hubbard-glacier-truth.jpg



Ice-loss estimates double - even triple - the truth
8 Sep 10 - The rate at which ice is disappearing from Greenland
and Western Antarctica has been seriously overestimated, scientists
now admit. Antarctica as a whole is gaining ice.
See Ice-loss estimates double - even triple - the truth (http://www.iceagenow.com/Ice-loss_estimates_double-even%20triple-the%20truth.htm)



Antarctic sea ice peaks at
third highest in satellite record
1 Jul 10 - But no mention in the
mainstream media
See Antarctic sea ice peaks at (http://www.iceagenow.com/Antarctic_sea_ice_peaks_at_third_highest_in_satell ite_record.htm)
third highest in satellite record (http://www.iceagenow.com/Antarctic_sea_ice_peaks_at_third_highest_in_satell ite_record.htm)
http://www.iceagenow.com/Antarctic_Sea_Ice_1Jul10.jpg


Melting of Greenland ice mimics 1920s-1940s event
Researchers see this as a cause for alarm, rather than proof that it's
simply part of a natural cycle and not driven by humans.
See Melting of Greenland ice mimics 1920s-1940s event (http://www.iceagenow.com/Melting_of_Greenland_ice_mimics_1920s-1940s_event.htm)


Bare-faced lies - glacier advances but headline
screams "global warming"
31 Jul 09 - Today the Daily Mail Reporter ran a series of
photos showing the rapid advance of the Breidamerkurjokull
glacier. But their headline shouted "How global warming is
changing the face of the northern hemisphere."
See Bare-faced lies - glacier advances but headline screams global warming (http://www.iceagenow.com/Bare-faced_lies-glacier_advances_but_headline_screams_global_warmi ng.htm)


Antarctica growing colder - Ice expanding
18 Apr 09 - "Ice is expanding in much of Antarctica," says this
article. In addition, the South Pole has shown "significant cooling
in recent decades".
See Antarctica growing colder - Ice expanding (http://www.iceagenow.com/Antarctica_growing_colder-Ice_expanding.htm)


Contrarian New Zealand Glaciers Keep Growing
3 May 09 - We keep hearing that the world's glaciers are retreating, but
this article admits that some, including glaciers south of the equator in South
America and New Zealand, are still growing.
See Contrarian New Zealand Glaciers Keep Growing (http://www.iceagenow.com/Contrarian_New_Zealand_Glaciers_Keep_Growing.htm)

Glacier scientist knew data hadn't been verified
2035 melting date plucked from thin air
Himalayan glaciers in Karakoram range actually growing rapidly
24 Jan 10 - "The scientist behind the bogus claim in a Nobel Prize-winning
UN report that Himalayan glaciers will have melted by 2035 last night admitted
it was included purely to put political pressure on world leaders."
See Glacier scientist knew data not verified (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glacier_scientist_knew_data_not_verified.htm)



Largest glacier in Argentina advancing
15 Jun 09 – "Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier is (supposedly) one of only a few ice fields worldwide that have withstood rising global temperatures.”
See Largest glacier in Argentina advancing (http://www.iceagenow.com/Largest_glacier_in_Argentina_advancing.htm)

http://www.iceagenow.com/Perito_Moreno_Glacier.jpg



Melting Himalayan glaciers - Not an iota of scientific evidence
20 Jan 10 - "The health of the glaciers is a cause of grave concern,
but the IPCC's alarmist position that they would melt by 2035 was
not based on an iota of scientific evidence," says India's Environment
Minister Jairam Ramesh.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2010-01-20- (http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2010-01-20-un-panel-himalayan-glaciers_N.htm)
un-panel-himalayan-glaciers_N.htm (http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2010-01-20-un-panel-himalayan-glaciers_N.htm)


Glaciers Growing in
Western Himalayas
24 May 09 – In a defiant act
of political incorrectness, some
230 glaciers in the western
Himalayas - including Mount Everest, K2 and Nanga
Parbat - are actually growing. See Glaciers (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_Growing_in_Western_Himalayas.htm) Growing in Western Himalayas (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_Growing_in_Western_Himalayas.htm)

http://www.iceagenow.com/Mt_Everest_region.jpg



Glaciers in western Himalayas thickening and expanding
23 Nov 08 - A study published by the American Meteorological Society
found that glaciers are only shrinking in the eastern Himalayas. Further
west, in the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram, glaciers are "thickening
and expanding".
See Glaciers in western Himalayas thickening and expanding (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_in_western_Himalayas_thickening_and_expan ding.htm) (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_in_western_Himalayas_thickening_and_expan ding.htm)


Ice not paying attention to warm-mongers
Arctic sea ice thickening
12 Oct 09 – “As a Colorado Rockies playoff game is snowed out, scientists
report that Arctic sea ice is thickening and Antarctic snow melt is the lowest
in three decades. Clearly, Arctic sea ice is not following the consensus touted
by Gore and the warm-mongers.”
See Arctic sea ice thickening (http://www.iceagenow.com/Arctic_sea_Ice_thickening.htm)


Arctic sea-ice 500,000 square kilometers (190,000 sq miles)
more than at this time last year
By Christopher Booker
05 Sep 09 – "The extent of the ice now is 500,000 sq km (190,000 sq miles)
greater than it was this time last year – which was, in turn, 500,000 sq km more
than in September 2007."
See Arctic sea-ice 500,000 sq km more than last year (http://www.iceagenow.com/Arctic_sea-ice_500000_sq_km_more_than_last_year.htm)



Chacaltaya glacier - unfortunate symbol for the IPCC
26 Jan 10 - Bolivia’s rapidly diminishing Chacaltaya glacier is a widely used symbol of human-caused global warming. However, this glacier's retreat is demonstrably not due to increasing temperatures caused by CO2 emissions.
See Chacaltaya glacier - an unfortunate symbol for the IPCC (http://www.iceagenow.com/Chacaltaya_glacier-an_unfortunate_symbol_for_the_IPCC.htm)






Extra ice time fattens up polar bears
19 Aug 09 - "The cooler-than-usual summer produced thicker ice on
Hudson Bay, giving the area's polar bear population several extra days
to feed on tasty ringed seals."
See Extra ice time fattens up polar bears (http://www.iceagenow.com/Extra_ice_time_fattens_up_polar_bears.htm)



Oops - West Antarctic Ice Sheet
not losing ice as fast as we thought
20 Oct 09 — New measurements by
GPS Network suggest the rate of ice
loss of the West Antarctic ice sheet
has been slightly overestimated.
See Oops - West Antarctic Ice Sheet not losing ice as fast as we thought (http://www.iceagenow.com/Oops-West_Antarctic_Ice_Sheet_not_losing_ice_as_fast_as _we_thought.htm)





Greenland icecap thickens slightly "despite warming"
20 Oct 05 - Greenland's ice-cap has thickened slightly in recent years
despite wide predictions of a thaw triggered by global warming, a team
of scientists said on Thursday.
See Greenland icecap thickens slightly (http://www.iceagenow.com/Greenland_icecap_thickens_slightly.htm)

Indian Scientists Debunk UN Glacier Retreat Claim
28 Aug 09 – Disputing the forecast made by the IPCC that the
glaciers in the world's highest mountain range could vanish within
three decades, V. K. Raina, a leading glaciologist and former
Additional Director-General of Geological Survey of India (GSI),
claimed recently that the glaciers are undergoing natural changes
which are witnessed periodically.
See Indian Scientists Debunk UN Glacier Retreat Claim (http://www.iceagenow.com/Indian_Scientists_Debunk_UN_Glacier_Retreat_Claim. htm)


Hubbard Glacier refuses
to fade away
18 Jul 09 - A few weeks ago I ran an article about Alaska's Hubbard Glacier advancing seven feet per day. Here's a lot more info on Hubbard Glacier, including a link where you can track its progress. See
Hubbard Glacier refuses to fade away (http://www.iceagenow.com/Hubbard_Glacier_refuses_to_fade_away.htm)




.
Alaska’s Hubbard Glacier still advancing, but at a slower pace
By Climatologist Cliff Harris
30 Jun 09 – It appears to be continuing its advance into the fjord and
should eventually (maybe as early as next year, but almost certainly
within the next thirty or forty years) wrap itself around Gilbert Point
and turn the fjord into a glacier formed lake.
See Alaska’s Hubbard Glacier still advancing (http://www.iceagenow.com/Alaskas_Hubbard_Glacier_still_advancing.htm)


Alaska's Hubbard Glacier advancing 7 feet per day!
10 May 09 – This from climatologist Cliff Harris of the Coeur d’Alene Press.
It's possible that the glacier could close the fjord by later this summer if the
current rate speeds up, says Harris.
See Alaska's Hubbard Glacier advancing 7 feet per day! (http://www.iceagenow.com/Alaskas_Hubbard_Glacier_advancing_7_feet_per_day.h tm)

New Zealand Glaciers Growing "Despite Global Warming"
15 May 09 –Today the New Zealand Herald (page A12) announced that
"The Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are still growing, despite global warming, ..."
See New Zealand Glaciers Growing Despite Global Warming (http://www.iceagenow.com/New_Zealand_glaciers_growing_despite_global_warmin g.htm)
.

Alaska’s ice thickens over unusual summer
By Climatologist Cliff Harris
9 Jun 09 – “Two hundred years of glacial shrinkage in Alaska, and then came
the winter and summer of 2007-2008. "In mid-June, I was surprised to see
snow still at sea level in Prince William Sound," said USGS glaciologist Bruce
Molnia. Bering Glacier did not become snow free until early August.
See Alaska’s ice thickens over unusual summer (http://www.iceagenow.com/Alaska_ice_thickens_over_unusual_summer.htm)


Arctic ice twice as thick as expected
By Christopher Booker
9 May 09 - "As the clock ticks down towards December's historic
UN Copenhagen conference on climate change, the frenzied efforts of the
warmists to panic us over all that vanishing Arctic and Antarctic ice are
degenerating into farce."
See Arctic ice twice as thick as expected (http://www.iceagenow.com/Arctic_ice_twice_as_thick_as_expected.htm) ..
.
. Antarctic ice growing, not shrinking
By Greg Roberts
18 Apr 09 - "Ice is expanding in much of Antarctica, contrary to the
widespread public belief that global warming is melting the continental ice cap."
See (http://www.iceagenow.com/Antarctic_ice_growing_not_shrinking.htm)Antarctic ice growing, not shrinking (http://www.iceagenow.com/Antarctic_ice_growing_not_shrinking.htm)
.


Antarctic sea ice up 4.7% since 1980 - where is the media?
5 Apr 09 – Yes, you read that right. The amount of sea ice around Antarctic has increased 4.7% since 1980. Yet all we hear about are the comparatively tiny areas where the ice is melting. Where is the media? See
Antarctic sea ice up 4.7% since 1980 (http://www.iceagenow.com/Antarctic_Sea_Ice_Up_Over_4.7%25_Since_1980.htm)









Arctic Sea-Ice Extent:
Updated Daily
7 Apr 09 – Here’s a website
that shows the daily extent of
Arctic Sea Ice from 2002
until the present.
See
Arctic Sea-Ice Extent: (http://www.iceagenow.com/Arctic_Sea_Ice_Extent_Updated_Daily.htm)
Updated Daily (http://www.iceagenow.com/Arctic_Sea_Ice_Extent_Updated_Daily.htm)





..


Oops. We overlooked 193,000 square miles of ice
19 Feb 09 – Today, the National Snow and Ice
Data Center (NSIDC) admitted that they’ve underreported Arctic ice extent by 193,000 square miles (500,000 sq km). That's the size of 10 states!
See We overlooked 193,000 square miles of ice (http://www.iceagenow.com/We_overlooked_193000_square_miles_of_ice.htm)




..


Glaciers in Norway Growing Again
Scandinavian nation reverses trend, mirrors
results in Alaska, elsewhere, reports the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate.
See Glaciers in Norway Growing Again (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_in_Norway_Growing_Again.htm)





.
Glaciers in western Himalayas thickening and expanding
Arctic ice cover above it’s 30-year average
23 Nov 08 - A study published by the American Meteorological Society
found that glaciers are only shrinking in the eastern Himalayas. Further
west, in the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram, glaciers are "thickening
and expanding".
See Glaciers in western Himalayas thickening and expanding (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_in_western_Himalayas_thickening_and_expan ding.htm)
.
.
New Study Finds Greenland Ice Melt not changing
3 Jul 08 - A new Dutch study of 17 years of satellite measurements of ice
movement in western Greenland concludes that the speedup of the ice is a
transient summertime phenomenon.
See New Study Finds Greenland Ice Melt not changing (http://www.iceagenow.com/New_Study_Finds_Greenland_Ice_Melt_not_changing.ht m)
.
. Glaciers growing on Canada’s tallest mountain
17 Nov 08 – The ice-covered peak of Yukon's soaring Mount Logan
may be due for an official re-measurement after readings that suggest
this country's superlative summit has experienced a growth spurt.
See Glaciers growing on Canada’s tallest mountain (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_growing_on_Canada_tallest_mountain.htm)
.
.
.

14 Sep 08 – Lewis Gordon Pugh tried to paddle a kayak to the Pole
to demonstrate the vanishing Arctic ice. While still 600 miles short of
his goal, he met with ice so thick that he had to turn back. Conveniently
forgotten, is that in 1893 the Arctic was so ice-free that a Norwegian
explorer was able to kayak above 82 degrees north, 100 miles nearer
he Pole.

.
.
California Glaciers Growing …
so let’s rhapsodize about global warming
9 Jul 08 – An AP article today admits that all seven
glaciers on California’s Mount Shasta are growing,
then goes on to rhapsodize about global warming.
See California Glaciers Growing (http://www.iceagenow.com/California_Glaciers_Growing.htm)


Against odds, glacier grows in cauldron of Mt. St. Helens
15 May 08 – Inside the Mount St. Helens volcano "an unexpected
phenomenon is taking place: a glacier is growing." “It may be the only
growing glacier in America - or maybe the world. What a lie!
See Glacier grows in cauldron of Mt. St. Helens (http://www.iceagenow.com/Glacier_grows_in_cauldron_of_Mt_St_Helens.htm)

[mick silver]

but what there doing to the ice in the oceans could have something to do with changing the weather around the world causing the glaciers to melt faster

[Glass]

another narrator. Art and Philosophy major so Not actually a scientist. Has some nice press shots, one while wearing a "Scientists" coat and holding some "red gatorade" in some beakers as well as one at Uni library suggesting political student union involvement. Studies are not actual scientific experiments where measurements and observations are made, it is the reading and interpretation of other peoples work which might or might not be scientific. Conclusions may differ. You need to read the source reports for diligence. They are persistent but you have to remember there are thousands globally who are already trained to tell us repeatedly how bad it might get in 35 years time. They need jobs.