German researchers have established the height of the Greenland and Antarctic ice caps with greater precision than ever before. The new maps they have produced show that the ice is melting at an unprecedented rate.

The maps, produced with a satellite-mounted instrument, have elevation accuracies to within a few metres. Since Greenland’s ice cap is more than 2,000 metres thick on average, and the Antarctic bedrock supports 61% of the planet’s fresh water, this means that scientists can make more accurate assessments of annual melting.

Dr Veit Helm and other glaciologists at the Alfred Wegener Institute’s Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, Germany, report in the journal The Cryosphere that, between them, the two ice sheets are now losing ice at the unprecedented rate of 500 cubic kilometres a year.

..
Overall, the southern continent − 98% of which is covered with ice and snow − is losing 125 cubic km a year. These are the highest rates observed since researchers started making satellite observations 20 years ago.

SOURCE: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/01/new-satellite-maps-show-polar...

The theory is that stronger polar winds are ablating the Antarctic Ice sheet, increasing the sea ice.

BatteriesNotIncluded wrote on Sep 2^nd, 2014 at 12:31pm:


Which has been hypothesised as a symptom of AGW.

'Still unknown is why the southern winds have been getting stronger. Some scientists have theorized that it could be related to global warming, or to the ozone depletion in the Southern Hemisphere, or just to natural cycles of variability.'

http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/09/17/stronger-winds-explain-puzzling-growth...

All that PERMAFROST in Asia (Siberia) & North America is accelerating in its meltdown.
Vast amounts of Carbon is being released into the atmosphere. That's x6 times as much released in the same amount of time, as that which has been all man-made.
Throw in the fact that if such comes into contact with moisture - then Methane is released (currently at 10% of what is being released).

I'm sorry people's but I think this planet is stuffed.
They have 'dawdled' too long and now its too late.

lee wrote on Sep 10^th, 2014 at 12:11pm:


Do you have any evidence it was not?

Jasin wrote on Oct 8^th, 2014 at 9:18pm:

I thought economy meant using only what you really really need but apparently we were all taught the wrong thing at school!

I think you are right DasEnergy (and my you have a long memory  ).

But hey, lets face it - the Budget and Economy are more important! We gotta make money for the Govt to buy more Toys for other people's Wars. !!

Jasin wrote on Oct 9^th, 2014 at 12:22pm:


Once was, but now the roo's in the top paddock have shortened that. However NASA has a very good doco/video on the event!

DaS Energy wrote on Oct 9^th, 2014 at 10:36am:


So methane release causes global cooling then???
Well, problem solved in that case.

DaS Energy wrote on Oct 10^th, 2014 at 10:34pm:

the plot thickens..