Glaciers transport ice from the interior of Greenland's land mass to the ocean
Posted on 05/04/2012 8:01:21 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Greenland's glaciers are not speeding up as much as previously thought, researchers have estimated.
As a result, the ice rivers may be contributing "significantly less" to sea-level rise than had been thought.
Previous studies had estimated that the nation's glaciers would double their flow by 2010 and continue to maintain that speed, they explained.
But the team, writing in Science, said the glaciers could eventually flow faster than earlier studies estimated.
The team of US researchers based their findings on data stretching back to 2000-2001, collected from more than 200 outlet glaciers.
"So far, on average, we are seeing about a 30% speed-up in 10 years," observed lead author Twila Moon from the University of Washington, Seattle.
This is less than earlier projections, one of which estimated that glacial flow would increase by 100% between 2000 and 2010 before stabilising at that new velocity.
The volume of ice and meltwater from land being deposited in the sea has a direct impact on global sea level. Greenland glacier (Image: AAAS/Science/Ian Joughin) Glaciers transport ice from the interior of Greenland's land mass to the ocean
Glaciers are the main transportation mechanism that moves this material from the interior of land masses such as Greenland and Antarctica to the oceans.
The faster ice-river flow results in an increase in the volume of ice and meltwater ending up in seawater.
To produce the findings of the glaciers' velocity rates, the researchers used data collected by Canadian, German and Japanese satellites.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
The climate-change cultists have as many revisions as Obama’s labor department.
Glaciers transport ice from the interior of Greenland's land mass to the ocean
First come the ‘running around the room with hair on fire’ alarmist “studies”, then after a few deep breaths comes an examination and reality. Again.
Obama told us he'd stop the rise of the sea levels. Did he not?
I’m worn out from saying “I told you so”.
Four more years and Obama could stop the rest of the flow.
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