Comments on: Why the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets are Not Collapsing

By: Hal

Hal — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 19:50:56 +0000

[snip] Greenland and Antarctica ARE NOT giant basins. [snip] The ice sheets lie on coastal plains that all incline to the ocean. If you really believe that Greenland and Antarctica are built like giant atolls [snip]. It means you don’t believe in the Transantarctic Mountain ranges. [snip]

Reply: You’re welcome to post here if you change your tone. You’ll notice your main content has not be censored. First warning ~ ctm

By: Mike McMillan

Mike McMillan — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:08:43 +0000

As I recall from the ice cores, the Eemian interglacial was two to three degrees warmer than the present for several thousand years. The ice didn’t melt then, and I’d bet a nickel the humans surviving the coming ice age will find the Holocene well recorded in both Greenland and Antarctica.

By: Jeff in Ctown

Jeff in Ctown — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:57:47 +0000

i have a big problem with the notion of melt water seeping down to the base of a 3km+ deep glaciar. Wouldn’t the water re-freeze as it passed by the 3000m of ice? The whole concept of the water lubricating the base of an ice sheet is just rediculous. The physics in this paper do a lot more to explain things better.

By: Stoic

Stoic — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:33:18 +0000

TonyB (03:20:33) “perhaps I could grab a grant to study the effects of ice and snow on high level slopes during the forthcoming skiing season in the Alps? I’ll need a luxurious chalet as a base of course…”

Perhaps you should become a medical consultant of some sort. I am always bumping into doctors or dentists attending conferences during ski season in the Alps. It seems possible to claim some sort of tax benefit for attending such conferences whilst missing some of the more boring seminars!

Regards

By: TonyB

TonyB — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:20:33 +0000

Jan and Robert

With the amount we’re paying in the UK in ‘environmental taxes’ of one sort or another we have to grab any grants we can :)

Unfortunately to date I’ve never managed to get a grant in my life, but it seems to me that recent threads here highlighting various areas of research open up lots of possibilities.

Greenland seems a bit cold but perhaps I could grab a grant to study the effects of ice and snow on high level slopes during the forthcoming skiing season in the Alps? I’ll need a luxurious chalet as a base of course…

tonyb

By: JAN

JAN — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:12:52 +0000

And then Lucia at the Blackboard http://rankexploits.com/musings/2009/two-box-models-the-2nd-law-of-thermodynamics/ would have to come over and kick his butt.

By: JAN

JAN — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:47:46 +0000

Robert A Cook PE (18:09:40):

That’s a relief then. If he were to be a grant foster, I am convinced his study would show that by assuming an oversimplified two box model unsupported by the physical world, and possibly in conflict with 2LOT, the ejection of the Greenland ice sheet would be granted by 2100.

By: Robert A Cook PE

Robert A Cook PE — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:09:40 +0000

JAN (12:12:17) :

TonyB, you’re not a grant foster, are you?

—

Neigh, neigh m’lord Jan.

I saw TonyB at the mall today as he’d hurried right around the optical shop, skipping both breakfast and lunch in the hopes of getting his account serviced in time downtown:

If I’d had not seen him run right over EM Smith in his haste, I’d never have known he was a faster Foster Grant granted faster.

By: Slartibartfast

Slartibartfast — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:28:58 +0000

LOL!

Oh, thank God.

By: JAN

JAN — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:12:17 +0000

TonyB, you’re not a grant foster, are you?

By: TonyB

TonyB — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:52:13 +0000

Vincent (06:28:48) :

Slartibartfast (20:23:01) : “I mean, assuming you are serious. . .”
LOL!

JAN (01:40:59): “Are you suggesting natural causation or is it mainly caused by the evil ways of mankind? ”
Answer: Evil ways, evil ways!

Thanks all for playing along with a little light hearted fun!

***
Light hearted fun? I’ve just managed to get a large grant to study this effect so you’d better all keep up the pretence…

tonyb

By: Vincent

Vincent — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:28:48 +0000

Slartibartfast (20:23:01) : “I mean, assuming you are serious. . .”
LOL!

JAN (01:40:59): “Are you suggesting natural causation or is it mainly caused by the evil ways of mankind? ”
Answer: Evil ways, evil ways!

Thanks all for playing along with a little light hearted fun!

PS, I was wrong about Gulf of Mexico – Canada definately. Sorry Candadians.

By: JAN

JAN — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:40:59 +0000

Robert A Cook PE & Vincent:

Fascinating new scientific findings you’ve got there. Now that we’ve established you got the basic physics right, I think you need to hurry up and include an attribution study in time to have your research ready for Copenhagen.

What’s “driving” this sudden ejection of the Greenland ice sheet into the stratosphere and subsequent landing in Canada? Are you suggesting natural causation or is it mainly caused by the evil ways of mankind? What about time scales, you need to show catastrophic impact by the end of the century, you know.

Also, don’t forget about probabilities. This is climate science, so never mind statistical significance. Just pull some wild-ass guess out of your butt end. Shall we say 90% probably most likely due to man-made climate change?

If you can get your study together for Copenhagen in December, you will certainly compete with Rahmstorf, Mann, et. al. for most catastrophic non-science in show.

By: Oliver Ramsay

Oliver Ramsay — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:28:13 +0000

Vincent and Robert,
Surely, the sudden negative pressure created by the departing ice would suck out both north poles ( the True and the Magnetic) and their acceleration could propel them far to the south. Ice may have more to do with polarity switcheroos than the models suggest.

By: a jones

a jones — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:09:27 +0000

Hey what’s a few gigatonnes between friends?

Kindest Regards