Do you really believe Glaciers shouldn't melt? If so why?
2008-01-28T12:13:57Z
To those of you who believe Glaciers shouldn't melt, than God Forbid that they melted from North America about 10,000 years ago. (And most likely Eurasia too.)
Most Glaciers that are left are in high altitudes and in the Arctic and Antarctica.
The Arctic will always refreeze in the Winter, unless for some reason we warm up substantially and it never freezes again. I don't see that happening unless the sun some how goes Super Nova.
As for Antarctica that's a continent that has been moving around a lot and most likely is still moving. We can't precievably make out the movement, but it could have moved enough to cause the Glaciers in the North East to melt. This Continent, unless it moves significantly North won't ever completely unthaw, since it will always refreeze in the winter.
Also if a Glacier completely melts in a basin it creates a Glacier Lake and these lakes are extremely deep, so for those worrying about the fresh water, that won't happen either.
2008-01-28T12:15:10Z
Dr Jello - Thanks for pointing out that 40% of Glaciers on our planet are getting bigger. Since people conviently want to forget about that.
Glaciers should melt and they have melted in the past, and they will melt during the summers and then grow during the winters, this is a process that's been happening for years before man I'm sure. Now if your referring to the melting in the arctic at the moment and Greenland then you have the warming global temperature and other processes to blame. The arctic new studies suggest that not only is melting a result of higher global temperatures but also circulation patterns in the arctic. Greenland's melting is also due to higher global temperatures and freakn hot spots under the ice on greenland. The hot spots will make the ice melt and the water from the melted ice will trickle through the other ice causing it to melt, and result in a chain reaction. So yes glaciers will melt and the conveyor belt thing about the ocean: the only way for the conveyor to stop is if mass quantities of ice melted at the same time and dumped into the ocean. If it melts like it is now then the ocean will take care of itself, the water will flow into the conveyor and slowly get mixed with the rest and the conveyor will keep on kicking!!! If mass amounts of cold water flow into the conveyor then yes there is a possibility that the conveyor could stop, but that is very very very unlikely...
Glacier (n) - A huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass, formed from compacted snow in an area where snow accumulation exceeds melting and sublimation.
By definition, the accumulation of snow should exceed the melting and sublimation. Once the mass starts to decrease (as is now occurring around the world) that means they are on a path toward extinction. Those communities that rely on the seasonal glacier melt for water supplies probably consider this a bad thing.
jello - Too bad you didn't post a link to support your assertion. Perhaps the World Glacier Monitoring Service could help clarify things: "The average mass balance of the glaciers with available long-term mass balance series around the world continues to decrease ... This continues the trend in accelerated ice loss during the past two and a half decades" http://www.geo.unizh.ch/wgms/mbb/mbb9/sum06.html
It's important to keep in mind that just as global warming does NOT mean every place on every day will be warmer. Global glacier mass decline does NOT mean every single glacier will decline every year. The climate models expect some regions to have more snow and some less. Clearly that will be a factor on the survivability of any individual glacier.
1. The glaciers reflect radiation from the sun (both light and UV radiation) back into space. This helps to stop the earth getting too hot.
2. If the glaciers melt, where does it go? In short, into the oceans, which then rise substantially. This means global flooding in low-lying areas.
3. The world's oceans have currents that are connected like a large conveyor belt that carry hot water from one area of the world to other areas (called Thermohaline Circulation). If you melt all the water from the glaciers and merge the cold water with these conveyors (such as the gulf stream) then they will effectively stop. This means places like the UK get cold, the carribean goes cold and the USA would freeze.
Melting of GLACIERS if natural then no problem if it was natural I accept it but the Green house emmission Gas make the Glacier to melt still more fast than the actual melting of the GLACIER.
I accept this there is a time where the total earth was coverd with the ICE but after that due to heat all the ice has started melting so there must be ice free age also we need if ice age is there the ice free age also have to come.