|
"Benchmark glaciers' shrinking at faster rate," screamed the
headline.
"Glacier melt accelerating," screamed the headline.
"Long-term study details glaciers shrinking in Washington and
Alaska,"
screamed the headline.
7 Aug 09 - “Climate change is shrinking three of
the nation's most studied glaciers at an accelerated rate,” these
articles gleefully shouted. “Government scientists say that finding
bolsters global concerns about rising sea levels and the availability of
fresh drinking water.”
“Known as ‘benchmark glaciers,’ the South Cascade
Glacier in Washington state, the Wolverine Glacier on Alaska's Kenai
Peninsula and the Gulkana Glacier in interior Alaska all have shown a
‘rapid and sustained’ retreat, according to a report by the U.S.
Geological Survey that was released Thursday.
"They are living on the edge," Ed Josberger, a USGS
scientist based in Tacoma, Washington, said of the three glaciers. "We
are getting warmer, and glaciers are shrinking."
Has the USGS sold out? What about the fact that it has been
getting
colder since 1998?
“With some exceptions caused by unique or unusual
local conditions -- the glaciers
on California's Mount Shasta, for example -- more than 99 percent of the
country's thousands of glaciers are shrinking, said Bruce Molnia,
another USGS scientist.
Notice how the article just kind of slides
over the fact that the glaciers
on Mount Shasta are growing.
Winter snowpacks have tapered off, said Josberger.
The reduced accumulations and increased melts have resulted in shrinking
glaciers.
That’s not true. Actual snow pack numbers
show a 22% INCREASE in
snow pack over the past 33 years across the Washington
and Oregon
Cascade Mountains. (See
Pacific
Northwest Snow Pack - the True Story)
These three melting glaciers can supposedly be used to
help understand
thousands – THOUSANDS! - of other North American
glaciers.
But who gets to choose which glaciers are
used as “benchmarks?”
How about the fact that Crater Glacier in
Mount St. Helens is growing?
According to the US Forest Service, Crater Glacier is
now larger than
it was before the 1980 eruption.
How about the fact that the Nisqually
Glacier on Mt. Rainier is growing?
How about the fact that Emmons Glacier on
Mt. Rainier is growing?
How about the fact that glaciers on Glacier
Peak in northern Washington
are growing?
Why shouldn’t they be used as benchmark
glaciers?
How about the fact that glaciers are
growing in Alaska for the first
time in 250 years? In May, Alaska’s Hubbard Glacier was
advancing
at the rate of seven feet per day - more than
half-a-mile per year.
How about the fact that in Icy Bay, Alaska,
at least three glaciers
have advanced a third of a mile in one year.
Why shouldn’t they be used as benchmark
glaciers?
How about the fact that glaciers are
growing on the tallest mountain
in France? How about the fact that glaciers are growing
on the tallest
mountain in Canada? How about the fact that all 50
glaciers in New
Zealand are growing? How about the fact that the
largest glacier in
Argentina is growing? How about the fact that 250
glaciers in the
Western Himalayas are growing?
The list goes on.
Why shouldn’t they be
used as benchmark glaciers?
Unfortunately, I’ve reached the point where
I don’t believe what my
government tells me. If it’s true that 99 percent of
the thousands of
glaciers in the United States are shrinking, let’s see
the list.
Show us the list!
Here are three of the breathless articles about the
shrinking “benchmark” glaciers:
http://www.physorg.com/news168849624.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-glacier7-2009aug07,0,2419256.story
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/08/longterm_study_details_glacier.htm
lThanks to Steven Woodcock, Clay Olson and Bruce Carman for
these links
Here's the link about the INCREASING snowpack:
|
Pacific Northwest Snow Pack
- the True Story
23 Jul 09 - Washington Governor Gregoire recently said that the snow pack
has declined 20% over the past 30 years. Actual snow pack numbers show a
22% INCREASE.
See Pacific
Northwest Snow Pack - the True Story |
 |
And here are links to corroborate what I'm saying about the
growing glaciers:
http://www.iceagenow.com/Alaskan_Glaciers_Grow_for_First_Time_in_250_years.htm
http://iceagenow.com/Alaskas_Hubbard_Glacier_advancing_7_feet_per_day.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Alaskan_Glaciers_Advance_One_Third_Mile.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Nisqually_Glacier_Growing.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Mount_St_Helens.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_growing_on_Glacier_Peak_WA.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/California_Glaciers_Growing.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Largest_glacier_in_Argentina_advancing.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_growing_on_Canada_tallest_mountain.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Glaciers_in_Norway_Growing_Again.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/New_Zealand_Glaciers_Growing.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Mont_Blanc_glacier_almost_doubles_in_size.htm
http://iceagenow.com/Glaciers_Growing_in_Western_Himalayas.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Greenland_Ice_Sheet_Growing_Thicker.htm
http://www.iceagenow.com/Antarctic_ice_growing_not_shrinking.htm
|