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Original poster

'Drastic' shrinkage in Arctic ice - We all going to be washed away, but will die with a tan.

52 replies

hub2dee · 16/09/2006 21:21

BBC Article . (forgive my artistic licence in describing Armagedon).

Click on the satellite images.

I know very little about this topic, but this does appear to be quite significant, although I appreciate the dataset might be small...

OP posts:
UrsulatheSeaWitch · 16/09/2006 21:24

14%? At that rate it'd all be gone in 7 years...is it a misplaced decimal? (I do hope so!)

Frizbe · 16/09/2006 21:24

so the question is are we all doomed, or will we be genitically (sp) engineered to live in a different world?

UrsulatheSeaWitch · 16/09/2006 21:26

Gills or flippers?

WideWebWitch · 16/09/2006 21:28

Has anyone seen the Al Gore film? It's supposed to be good. We're fucked basically aren't we? Or our children are at least.

Original poster
hub2dee · 16/09/2006 21:28

I think the article has been written precisely because the rate at which this type of ice was disappearing was completely out of sync with previous rates.

OP posts:
Original poster
hub2dee · 16/09/2006 21:37

The original journal article from which the BBC piece is based on can be found here

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Frizbe · 16/09/2006 21:39

www our kids are pretty yes... and its not as though anything we do can help becuase those who can help won't do a thing, which is why the head of BP UK cycles to work every day and openly says they have the technology to change things but don't because of the governments of this rock probably gills and flippers....

foundintranslation · 16/09/2006 21:41

I've been convinced for a few years that we're fucked. I try not to think too much about what ds or his children might have ahead of him.

Original poster
hub2dee · 16/09/2006 21:47

Personally, I don't think we'll be f*cked for quite a considerable period of time actually. As a species we're fairly adaptable IMHO. I expect that capitalism means that when there is sufficient market demand / economic reward, required solutions will come forward IYSWIM. Maybe that's just naïve, as I said, I know very little about the topic.

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FillyjonktheBananaEater · 16/09/2006 21:49

What a f'king state of affairs, eh?

What about the Gulf Stream?

UrsulatheSeaWitch · 16/09/2006 21:53

Now how do they expect us to take seriously something based on a "satellite scatterometer"?

Snort.

FillyjonktheBananaEater · 16/09/2006 21:55

Its something to do with reflected electromagnetic waves, as I recall...different types of surface reflect different waves...I think...

I am going to go and be depressed some more now.

Am pondering those shelves.

Frizbe · 16/09/2006 21:59

hub2dee, that's precisely what I'm twittering on about, the human race will survive, just not in its present state....and no doubt a fair few of the poorer nations will be sacrificed to rising water levels, without certain rich countries batting an eyelid....unfortuantly for the USA, Afganistan is well above sea level! wonder if that's the real reason they're bickering over there?

morningpaper · 16/09/2006 22:06

This is interesting

The weird thing is, there is NO PLAN from any government, because they only look at most, 20 years ahead

But you think immigration is a problem NOW - what happens when Bangladesh disappears?

FillyjonktheBananaEater · 16/09/2006 22:08

its not just that we'll have less land. Rising sea levels affect all sorts of things. One possibility is that the Gulf Stream, which is a water transit system which causes the UK and (I think) parts of the US to be so temperate, will stop tranporting water. And then there will be another ice age, I think?

Another problem is that more sea=>more water vapour in atmosphere=>more global warming=>us f'cked. Its an upwards spiral.

FFS, WHAT are they playing at?

Frizbe · 16/09/2006 22:08

maybe they're going to resite the population in Afghanistan?

Frizbe · 16/09/2006 22:10

ah yes and the mid-atlantic conveyer switches off and so all the sea life around the UK which gets fed by this, dies off and our food chain gets destroyed, oh happy, happy thoughts.....still we'll be above water level in the northern half of the country.....

FillyjonktheBananaEater · 16/09/2006 22:11

but cold...brrrr...

Original poster
hub2dee · 16/09/2006 22:13

Hmm, yes, there could potentially be some quite astounding population movements, couldn't there...

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Frizbe · 16/09/2006 22:13

might not be cold, could just be very humid and wet.....soggy, nice!

UrsulatheSeaWitch · 16/09/2006 22:14

I had heard that before, about the Gulf Stream diverting some time - without it we would have the same climate as the Falklands (or worse)

Frizbe · 16/09/2006 22:14

estate agency tip, buy lots of houses on hills NOW!

Frizbe · 16/09/2006 22:14

would we get penguins here do you think? (bar the Zoo escapees?)

Original poster
hub2dee · 16/09/2006 22:14

Hey, if we start living on the surface of the water then it could rise and fall as much as it pleased (kinda).

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FillyjonktheBananaEater · 16/09/2006 22:21

no no no, hang on, have just noticed its the Artic.

That floats on the water anyway, right? So it melting doesn't actually represent any additional water, and sea levels shouldn't rise...not like the Antartic which is land...I'm sure it is still a problem though...

But I don't think its quite so bad...its bad in a symptomatic way, and also if you are a penguin, or whatever lives in the Artic.