the danger of the melting antartic?

Question

is the antartic ice sheet expanding or melting this year

Answer 1

melting, in fact a huge chuck of the shelf is now a very impressive iceberg.

Answer 2

It is melting.

The polar ice caps have been every year, for a long time, because we are recovering from the last ice age. The ice that expands and contracts are called pack ice. That is seasonal. Icebergs, which we see every year, are large chunks of millenia old ice breaking off. We are of course helping it along with human induced global warming.

Those are the polar ice caps as a whole. There are some glaciers in the temperate high lying regions that are growing, oddly enough, because of global warming, which causes more rain in certain regions, hence more ice.

The Antartic ice will be there for a long time to come. The most serious challenge is the changing climate. If the part of the earth's surface that is under ice decreases, less sunlight is reflected back into the atmosphere, which will increase global warming. That's a dangerous self inforcing loop.

It is difficult to get a "figure" for this year, because of the seasonality of pack ice. We do know that the permanent ice shelf pushes icebergs into the southern ocean every year, without noticable build up in snow every year. (Antarctica is the driest continent on earth in terms of precipitation).

Answer 3

Let us not forget three key issues with climate change hysterics:

(1) there is not one climate change model in existence that can accurately predict the past, so even thinking known erroneous models can predict the future is nonsense;

(2) 96%-98% of greenhouse gas emissions come from our planet's environment, not from humans. From the media, the U.N., Al Gore and many others you would assume the opposite;

(3) it has long been shown that when a large proportion of politicians and the media fall in love with an issue, as they have with global warming, we are being had. What we need is long-term, well- funded, diverse scientific studies of climate ...

Answer 4

Some parts of the Antarctica are experiencing increased temperatures - mostly in the Penninsula.

HOWEVER...the interior of the continent has shown DECREASING temps over the last century.

Answer 5

melting . And it is better you all find a higher ground to stay before the ocean increases it's quantity .

Answer 6

It is forever melting and refreezing but on average it melts more than it freezes due to global warming.

Answer 7

"Antartic" without the sea surely means it's still pretty solid!

Answer 8

i believe its melting

Answer 9

Surf's up.

Answer 10

its not