you don't really think a 1 degree rise in air temperature is causing all that polar ice and glaciers to melt,

Question

do you? One degree rise in air temprature doesn't really provide all that heat necessary to melt solid ice, right?

if you say "going from 32F to 33F" - what makes you say THAT instead of "going from 10F to 11F"? or 20F to 21F?

Answer 1

Polar ice and glaciers are melted mostly by solar radiation every year (mostly in summer). The polar ice and glaciers are replenished every year when there is a yearly snowfall (mostly in winter). When the yearly snowfall is less than the yearly melting then there is a net loss of polar ice (or glaciers).
In the context of global warming - if there is a net loss year after year and the ice loss is visible/observable then we say "the polar ice caps are melting". Otherwise - they are melting every year as usual (without global warming).
There are 2 ways "global warming" greenhouse gases cause there to be a net loss (or polar ice is melting).
1. - the greenhouse gases 'trap' or 'reflect' infrared radiation back to be absorbed by ice and increase melting.
2. - the CFCs of greenhouse gases destroy the ozone and allow more UV radiation to reach the ice and be absorbed and increase melting.
The increase in melting without an equal or greater increase in snowfall results in a net loss of ice (hence polar ice caps melting).

Answer 2

That one degree rise is an average rise, indicating that things are getting warmer. It's not a cause, it's an effect.

We are 10,000 years into an interglacial age. Things are naturally getting warmer, and ice is melting. It will eventually reverse, and mile-high glaciers will eventually grind New York City into powder again, and we will be able to put Democrats and Algore on the endangered species list.

It has been warmer than it is now.

It has been colder than it is now.

These will happen again.

Answer 3

An ice cube will melt completely if surrounded by 32.5 deg. F air; at 31.5 F none of it will melt. A one degree rise in average global temperature will move the freezing line closer to the poles, and thousands of square miles of ice will melt.

Answer 4

look at a picture of the glacier on top of Mt. Kilimanjaro 50 years ago and compare it with now.then tell me again how it can't be.

Answer 5

well nature and the sun are imposible to predict as i saw a news at yahoo news that says neptune south pole is heating up and its so darn far away so what do u expect as the world still polute so horribly

Answer 6

32 degrees: water becomes ice.
33 degrees: ice becomes water.

Looks like one degree would do it.