Good News - De-Icing Antarctica Could Take 1,000 Yrs; Bad News - It May Already Be Too Late To Stop

[hatrack]

The good news is that it would take more than 1,000 years to melt the massive ice sheet in west Antarctica that could raise sea levels by 16 feet.

The bad news is this event could become unstoppable this century if carbon dioxide concentrations keep rising as predicted, a study has found.

An investigation into the stability of the ice sheet has found it has collapsed before when carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have reached about 400 parts per million, a level expected to reached by 2050.

It will almost certainly collapse when nearby ocean temperatures rise by about 5C, the likely result of global warming this century.

EDIT

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/melting-of-antarctic-ice-becoming-unstoppable-1648405.html

Ed. note - I'm note sure where they're getting 400 PPM by 2050. We're nearly there already. :shrug:

[kestrel91316]

1. Why does everyone assume that only the West Antarctic ice sheet

is gonna melt? The entire CONTINENT is gonna melt before this thing is over, IMHO.

[moundsview]

2. Are there any proposals to avert what would seem to be

A natural, regular occurrence?
FTA:

Two groups of researchers say the ice sheet has collapsed regularly, most recently about 400,000 years ago and one million years ago, resulting in large increases in sea levels. The two studies are published in the journal Nature.

Another question is, what would be the consequences of interfering with natural cycles?

[Birthmark]

4. Are you implying...

...that the current climate change is natural?

[NickB79]

5. A natural cycle of de-icing every 600,000 years?

That would mean that we're 200,000 years ahead of schedule.

Unless humans have altered the climate cycles.

[FudaFuda]

3. This article says more likely 2000 or 3000 years

little more detailed read on the study

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102066621&ft=1&f=1001

[XemaSab]

6. It may take 1000 years... or not

:P

[Systematic Chaos]

7. I'm not sure where they're getting *any* of their claims.

Ed. note - I'm note sure where they're getting 400 PPM by 2050. We're nearly there already.

They already have grass growing on the peninsula down there. I believe most of the lower-latitude ice continent-wide will be gone by the end of this century, making a good portion of the continent habitable. Hey, at least it'll make up for what ends up either underwater or too hot to support life elsewhere.

:eyes: