Arctic ice cap melting. Dan Rather says, "Why remains a mystery."

[Karmadillo]

I guess no one knows why with 100% certainty, but I would have thought Rather could have tossed out a credible guess or two. Or has Viacom banned all use of the words "global warming"?

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2003/oct/HQ_03340_ice_esu.html

<edit>

The Arctic warming study, appearing in the November 1 issue of the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate, shows that compared to the 1980s, most of the Arctic warmed significantly over the last decade, with the biggest temperature increases occurring over North America.

"The new study is unique in that, previously, similar studies made use of data from very few points scattered in various parts of the Arctic region," said the study's author, Dr. Josefino C. Comiso, senior research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "These results show the large spatial variability in the trends that only satellite data can provide." Comiso used surface temperatures taken from satellites between 1981 and 2001 in his study.

The result has direct connections to NASA-funded studies conducted last year that found perennial, or year-round, sea ice in the Arctic is declining at a rate of nine percent per decade and that in 2002 summer sea ice was at record low levels. Early results indicate this persisted in 2003.

Researchers have suspected loss of Arctic sea ice may be caused by changing atmospheric pressure patterns over the Arctic that move sea ice around, and by warming Arctic temperatures that result from greenhouse gas buildup in the atmosphere.

more...

[htuttle]

1. Does anyone remember the scene from Erik the Viking?

Where they come back past Atlantis, and all that's left is a few people with their heads sticking just above the water, and they are all arguing about whether the water is rising or not?

They are us.

[knight_of_the_star]

2. That's "Rather" stupid of him

sorry. Couldn't resist using such an obvious pun that was just BEGGING to be used.

[baldguy]

3. Here's a clue.

[gristy]

4. I let out a little shout when he said that.

Why not say the truth, Dan? "Scientists are in general agreement that the ice loss has been triggered by a warming climate caused at least in part by atmospheric carbon dioxide generated from the burning of oil, gas, and coal." You had plenty you could have cut so as to squeeze it in - most of your report tonight was quite forgettable.

[quinnox]

5. Let's hope that before Noahs flood II

is upon the earth, the cubbies can win one.

[Junkdrawer]

6. The British Good News/Bad News

Good News:
Asian goods get cheaper thanks to the new Northwest Passage.

Bad News:
London is underwater.

[karlschneider]

8. And "More Brits learning to swim!"

:eyes:

[the_real_38]

7. It could only be one thing...

.... terrorism. It's that simple.

[Capn Sunshine]

10. Clintons Penis is spreading it's fiendish heat

I knew we'd regret letting that penis loose upon the earth

[TrogL]

9. All I have to do is stick my head out the window

I've lived up here (northern Alberta, CANADA) since 1979. I thought I knew the climate.

It's changed - drastically. We should have had at least one major snowfall by now and people are wandering around in shirtsleeves and shorts.

[NJCher]

11. caught it, too

We were in the kitchen cooking dinner when he said that and we both just looked at each other in disbelief.

Un-fricking-believable.


Cher

[tom_paine]

12. Oh, that librul media!

It would be funny, I'm ashamed to say, if it wans't America that was getting it's nose rubbed in shit every day by the Bunnypants Gang.

Then we could laugh and point and say, "What a bunch of lickspittle fools! They would believe that 1 + 1 =3 as long as their TVs told them."

But those lickspittle fools are us...all of us.

[aquart]

13. Memo to self: Do not buy Manhattan real estate.

[HornBuckler]

14. In All Fairness

The Rise In Temparature Could Be A Million Different Things.... From Solar Change To Gaia Theories To SUV's

Funny Thing Is, It's Probably The Enormous Amount Of Oil Burning That We Do.

What Happened To All That Talk About Oil Running Out And Conservation Back In The 80's? Now, No One ('Cept Us) Thinks About It And Fills Up Their God Damn Hummers (50+ Gallon Tank!)

[maggrwaggr]

15. Hornbuckler, WHY do you type like that?

No offense, but it's extremely difficult to read.