Scientists say the Times Atlas map (left) does not follow the ice extent line as viewed from space (right)
Posted on 09/19/2011 6:33:31 PM PDT by macquire
"Recent satellite images of Greenland make it clear that there are in fact still numerous glaciers and permanent ice cover where the new Times Atlas shows ice-free conditions and the emergence of new lands," they say in a letter that has been sent to the Times.
"We do not know why this error has occurred, but it is regrettable that the claimed drastic reduction in the extent of ice in Greenland has created headline news around the world.
"There is to our knowledge no support for this claim in the published scientific literature."
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
All your glaciers belong to us.
Scientists say the Times Atlas map (left) does not follow the ice extent line as viewed from space (right)
Give them a break. They had trouble staying in the lines in kindergarten too.
This map must have been Greenland circa 1,000 AD.
What Al Gore and Karl Marx Have in Common
Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist Resigns Over Global Warming
Global Warming on Free Republic
As a cartographer, my first reaction was to take the "atlas vs satellite" image, load it into my vector graphics tool, and then create a new layer on which I carefully created a vector polygon that traces the boundary of the ice as shown in the atlas. Then I placed a copy of the polygon atop the MODIS IR satellite image to illustrate just how much the Atlas image had "trimmed back" the ice sheet.
imagine my surprise when I discovered that my polygon was significantly shorter than the satellite image!
~~~~~~~~~~~
This, obviously, exaggerates the disparity between the apparent icecap on the satellite image versus the mapped depiction.
Either this was an ignorant error (failure to "georeference" the images to the same datum and scale) -- or, it was a deliberate ploy to exaggerate the visual difference between the two depictions. IOW, it was "bad science" (failure to normalize data) or it was a deliberate misrepresentation of the facts. Neither is acceptable.
The map image is approximately 92% of the scale of the satellite image, and the satellite image needs about 2 degrees CCW rotation to align with the North convention of the map. The lousy resolution of the images makes further refinement of these numbers difficult, if not impossible...
These discrepancies are most noticeable in the area of the Nares Strait and Robinson Canal sea passage between Greenland and Ellesmere Island.
If I can find time today, I will finish and upload a set of comparison graphics so that I can share them here...
Bottom line: Yes, the Atlas map underrepresents the extent of the ice sheet. BUT -- the discrepancy is significantly less than the posted images fool your eye into perceiving. The posted article does a disservice to both opposing viewpoints.
We know liberals are liars... more proof is always nice... Thanks for the post.
All it takes is a human eye to notice the browned in area on the left hand picture and how white the actual satellite picture is of that area....
sheese...
Wow, they actually are correcting false information these days. That is big progress. In about 20 more years they may be up to scientific honesty. I am not holding my breath.
Ol P.T had your number -- "one every minute..."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.