NASA: 10,000-year-old Antarctic ice shelf will disappear by 2020

[Harry Hood]

One of the last remaining sections of Antarctica's Larsen B Ice Shelf is dramatically weakening, according to a new NASA study.

The study predicts that what remains of the once-prominent ice shelf, a thick floating platform of ice, most likely will "disintegrate completely" before the end of this decade.

I wonder what impacts this will have on long term climate change - severe, swift acceleration?


More.... http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/16/us/antarctica-larsen-b-ice-shelf-to-disappear/index.html

[bryant.coleman]

Once the entire Antarctic ice sheet melts away, many of the present day nations will go extinct.

The United Kingdom will lose more than 50% of its area. Netherlands and Denmark will be no more.



Cuba will be reduced to a few small islands. Florida will be entirely under water.

[Spendulus]

Once the entire Antarctic ice sheet melts away, many of the present day nations will go extinct.

The United Kingdom will lose more than 50% of its area. Netherlands and Denmark will be no more.



Cuba will be reduced to a few small islands. Florida will be entirely under water.

None of this is true regarding the effect of the ice of Larsen-B.

[Chef Ramsay]

I remember reading in this latest winter season that the ice quantity had been growing down in Antarctica rather than depleting despite the global warming folks saying otherwise. Color me unconcerned.

[Spendulus]

I remember reading in this latest winter season that the ice quantity had been growing down in Antarctica rather than depleting despite the global warming folks saying otherwise. Color me unconcerned.

This is true, regarding the ice growing.  Larson-B is part of a peninsulsa of Antarctic, which extends north into warmer waters.  One part can decrease and another increase, etc.

The wikipedia article seems reasonably factual on the subject and explains it in adequate detail.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larsen_Ice_Shelf

[Schleicher]

Here you can see the change of the ice thickness from 2011 to 2014:
http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2014/08/Antarctic_ice-sheet_change

[cryptocoiner]

One of the last remaining sections of Antarctica's Larsen B Ice Shelf is dramatically weakening, according to a new NASA study.

The study predicts that what remains of the once-prominent ice shelf, a thick floating platform of ice, most likely will "disintegrate completely" before the end of this decade.

I wonder what impacts this will have on long term climate change - severe, swift acceleration?


More.... http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/16/us/antarctica-larsen-b-ice-shelf-to-disappear/index.html

Global warming is here for sure. We will definitely see rise of the level of a world ocean during our lives. It's not that bad i think. It still better than a new ice age. A lot of cold areas will become more suitable for living.

[notbatman]

One of the last remaining sections of Antarctica's Larsen B Ice Shelf is dramatically weakening, according to a new NASA study.

The study predicts that what remains of the once-prominent ice shelf, a thick floating platform of ice, most likely will "disintegrate completely" before the end of this decade.

I wonder what impacts this will have on long term climate change - severe, swift acceleration?


More.... http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/16/us/antarctica-larsen-b-ice-shelf-to-disappear/index.html

Global warming is here for sure. We will definitely see rise of the level of a world ocean during our lives. It's not that bad i think. It still better than a new ice age. A lot of cold areas will become more suitable for living.

The theory that Earth is a globe has not been proven and remains to this day just a theory. Now add to this the the "fact" that's it warming and you're going to make baby reptile Jesus cry!

[NeuroticFish]

Also the massive amount of unsalted water may change the oceanic currents, which translates into severe weather conditions.
But yeah, if we'd REALLY care about this then we would stop sleeping and would start running around screaming. And we don't.

[Spendulus]

Also the massive amount of unsalted water may change the oceanic currents, which translates into severe weather conditions.
But yeah, if we'd REALLY care about this then we would stop sleeping and would start running around screaming. And we don't.

When we say "Event A" .... MAY LEAD TO ... "Result B"

That is best described as worthless speculation. 

[salmion]

Learn to sail.

And dive because there will be sweet treasure below the waves.

[bryant.coleman]

None of this is true regarding the effect of the ice of Larsen-B.

Agreed. But at this rate, the entire Antarctic ice sheet might melt in less than 100 years time. I am not arguing about the real reasons behind that, but it is certain that man made climate change will play a significant part in it. Larsen-B will be gone by 2020. After that the other major ice sheets will start vanishing one by one.

[Harry Hood]

Bryan, it's nice to play make believe. I hope you're not adding some unnecessary hype and distraction to the ice shelf melting news. What's the probability that all the ice in Antarctica will melt away (which is what your graphic illustrates)?

Maybe a better question for the entire discussion is, can we reveverse (on our own) this melting trend?

[bryant.coleman]

Bryan, it's nice to play make believe. I hope you're not adding some unnecessary hype and distraction to the ice shelf melting news. What's the probability that all the ice in Antarctica will melt away (which is what your graphic illustrates)?

I am not saying that it'll happen in the next 5 or 6 years. I am talking about 50 or even 100 years time. As per the recent studies, the rate of Antarctic ice sheet loss seems to be more logarithmic than linear.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/antarctic-ice-sheet-disappearing-at-twice-the-rate-predicted-9398468.html

[NeuroticFish]

When we say "Event A" .... MAY LEAD TO ... "Result B"

That is best described as worthless speculation.  

The fact that I don't know all the details doesn't mean that others cannot research on this direction, which I think it deserves quite some attention.
However, at least I tried to say something...

Maybe a better question for the entire discussion is, can we reveverse (on our own) this melting trend?

It's very hard to revert such process. Especially as the global warming is only accelerated by humans, not created by us.
Earth has a lot of periods of cold, warm, hot, and cold again. At some point this "global warming" will end and another ice age will start.
Hopefully then mankind will be much smarter than now...

[BADecker]

Actually, this is okay. We need the additional water. Lake Powell is drying up. The Colorado River is slowing down. California and other parts of the world are in drought.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/17/lake-powell-drought-colorado-river

[Spendulus]

When we say "Event A" .... MAY LEAD TO ... "Result B"

That is best described as worthless speculation.  

The fact that I don't know all the details doesn't mean that others cannot research on this direction, which I think it deserves quite some attention.
However, at least I tried to say something...

Maybe a better question for the entire discussion is, can we reveverse (on our own) this melting trend?

It's very hard to revert such process. Especially as the global warming is only accelerated by humans, not created by us.
Earth has a lot of periods of cold, warm, hot, and cold again. At some point this "global warming" will end and another ice age will start.
Hopefully then mankind will be much smarter than now...

An "ice sheet" is essentially a big slab of ice that is anchored at one or more places to a land mass.
Basically, we don't have a right to the continued existence of ice sheets.    Ice on top of a land mass is a very different thing.  Ice sheets which break off from land then contribute to the "sea ice" statistic.

The really big future challenge for man will certainly be to engineer means to prevent another ice age.

[bryant.coleman]

Actually, this is okay. We need the additional water. Lake Powell is drying up. The Colorado River is slowing down. California and other parts of the world are in drought.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/17/lake-powell-drought-colorado-river

I don't think that the rainfall will increase as a result of global warming. On the other hand, the evaporation will increase, and thus the agricultural crops might need more water than the average. Also, the ice sheets (composed of fresh water) will melt towards the Antarctic ocean, and it will get converted in to salt water. The net fresh water reserves will actually decrease as a result of this.

[Falconer]

One of the last remaining sections of Antarctica's Larsen B Ice Shelf is dramatically weakening, according to a new NASA study.

The study predicts that what remains of the once-prominent ice shelf, a thick floating platform of ice, most likely will "disintegrate completely" before the end of this decade.

I wonder what impacts this will have on long term climate change - severe, swift acceleration?


More.... http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/16/us/antarctica-larsen-b-ice-shelf-to-disappear/index.html

Maybe all of us have known about global warming that making the ice of Antarctica melted. Many activists did campaign to every company to reduce their green house gases and pollution. But, what you can do if you are working in these companies.

[Spendulus]

None of this is true regarding the effect of the ice of Larsen-B.

Agreed. But at this rate, the entire Antarctic ice sheet might melt in less than 100 years time. I am not arguing about the real reasons behind that, but it is certain that man made climate change will play a significant part in it. Larsen-B will be gone by 2020. After that the other major ice sheets will start vanishing one by one.

No, the other major ice sheets will not start vanishing one by one.  Ice will increase or decrease regionally in accordance with the physics and environment of each region.

Larsen B is an unusual situation because it is on the peninsula which juts northward a considerable distance.  It is subjected both to warmer water flows, more sunlight, and stresses from crosswise ocean currents.

Your simplistic ...

man's co2 output --> global warming --> larsen B cracks off --> all other ice sheets vanish

Is a stark reminder of the problem, not the solution.  This is not scientific thinking, not even logical thinking.