“…Polar scientists are united on the likelihood of level rises – but how much and when?
When 2500 polar scientists gathered in Oslo this month to compare notes at the conclusion of the International Polar Year, a common thread ran through their presentations and papers:
“Unless we better understand the probable melt rate of ice in Antarctica and Greenland …
… we haven’t a hope of being adequately prepared for the inevitable sea level rise in the decades ahead.”
The conference, described as the largest gathering of polar scientists ever, saw satellite data from both poles, including images and ice elevation calculations …
… which confirmed the annual melt in the Arctic and Antarctica was faster over the last summers than most had predicted.
Antarctic geologists from New Zealand, key players in the Antarctic Drilling Project (Andrill) in the Ross Sea …
… explained how the rate of ice melt won’t be linear.
Rather there will be a cumulative, run-away effect as the greenhouse influence raises ocean temperatures, shifts ocean currents …
… and alters the frequency of climatic events…”
go to source/story>>>Rob Fenwick : Sea levels set for dramatic rise – National – NZ Herald News
