Update of Greenland Ice Sheet Mass Loss
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Material Information

Title:
Update of Greenland Ice Sheet Mass Loss Exponential?
Creator:
Hansen, James
Sato, Makiko
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climate Change ( lcsh )
Greenland ( lcsh )
Ice Sheets ( lcsh )

Notes

Abstract:
Shepherd et al. (2012) provide an update of the mass loss by the Greenland ice sheet (and the Antarctic ice sheet). They compare several analysis methods, achieving a reasonably well-defined consensus. The data is 2-3 years more current than data we employed recently (Hansen and Sato, 2012), so a new look at the data seems warranted. A crucial question is how rapidly the Greenland (or Antarctic) ice sheet can disintegrate in response to global warming. Earth's history makes it clear that burning all fossil fuels would cause eventual sea level rise of tens of meters, thus practically wiping out thousands of cities located on global coast lines. However, there seems to be little political or public interest in what happens next century and beyond, so reports of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) focus on sea level change by 2100, i.e., during the next 87 years. ( English )

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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Aggregations:
Sea Level Rise