
Alaskan glaciers melting 100 times faster than previously thought - QuickToBan
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/07/alaskan-glaciers-melting-faster-than-previously-thought/
======
fencepost
_" Only 50 of approximately 100,000 glaciers in Alaska are tidewater glaciers,
and they’re some of the biggest."_

The takeaways are not that _all_ glaciers are melting faster but that _this
kind_ of glacier is melting faster and that similar underwater measurement now
needs to be done on other types of glaciers (notably valley glaciers).

Most Alaskan glaciers don't end in the ocean, which is one significant factor.
For Greenland where many do the ocean water is quite a bit colder - "water in
LeConte Bay is warm relative to the ice, and even other fjords around the
world."

Of course, further studies may end up being done without unemployed University
of Alaska researchers[0][1].

[0]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20479471](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20479471)

[1]
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20383708](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20383708)

~~~
QuickToBan
> The success of the new method “opens the door for researchers to do this all
> over the world,” says Sutherland. Specifically, insight from the research at
> LeConte Glacier in Alaska could be used to study glaciers in Greenland and
> Antarctica. “Submarine melting may matter everywhere,” says Enderlin.

------
18pfsmt
Here is the link to the actual report:

[https://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.aax35...](https://science.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.aax3528)

People should try reading the actual science instead of some journalist's
cherry-picked take on the science. It's also interesting that Disney ("evil
media corporation") now controls NatGeo.

As Bill Gates recently noted, climate alarmists are more of a problem than the
"deniers." Here's a story from the BBC this week titled, _Climate change: 12
years to save the planet? Make that 18 months_ :

[https://www.bbc.com/news/science-
environment-48964736](https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48964736)

This is getting ridiculous. The submitter, in this case, appears to have
issues with civility, and is obsessively submitting climate related articles
for an account that's less than 60 days.

~~~
sbmthakur
The BBC story reminded me of Al Gore's 2006 prediction that stated _unless
nations took “drastic measures” then the Earth "would reach a point of no
return within 10 years."_[1]

It's weird how the deadline for _point of no return_ is being pushed ahead
every few years.

1\. [https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/annabel-scott/gore-dodges-
fact-...](https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/annabel-scott/gore-dodges-fact-check-
his-2006-prediction-about-earth-point-no-return-within-10)

~~~
yread
So, when do you think the point of no return is now? I've read that even if we
stop all CO2 emissions now the heating will continue for quite some time
before nature gets the 410ppm back to 350ppm or wherever it needs to be for
stable state. So, in a way we're way past the point of no return and we
probably were in 2006 already.

Ah yes, looking into it further, here is the claim: "25-50 years are needed
for Earth’s surface temperature to reach 60 percent of its equilibrium
response"

[https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/early/2005/04/28/...](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/early/2005/04/28/science.1110252.full.pdf)

------
tehabe
It would be a lie if I said I was surprised, currently I hear news from
everywhere that climate change is moving faster forward than expected. The
time window we have left to rescue what is left is shrinking. This worries me
a lot.

~~~
lph
So what are you doing about it?

(I was once talking to a friend over beers, ranting about some politics I was
unhappy about. And he asked me: So what are you doing about it? Of course, I
wasn't doing anything besides complaining, and this made something click in my
head. All of my self-important opinions were worth nothing if I couldn't be
bothered to do anything about them. I think about this a lot and it has
changed the way I see the world.)

~~~
tehabe
the topic follows me for the last 20+ years, I'm political active and argued
in favour of reduction of co2 emission and transition to renewable energy.
since I'm able to choose my own electricity supplier I chose one which only
buys renewable energy. I do most of my daily things by walking and by public
transit. I'm also active in a club for transportation transition and argue
publicly that my town should be focus on bicycles and walking than cars. Sadly
I don't see much success, because I'm confronted with a view that w/o cars it
wouldn't work, that I have to be aware all the jobs my ideas would kill, and
all other things. That is why I'm not very hopeful for the future.

P.S. the thing about what a single person can do is just so much, for a real
impact it really needs governments to set policies which causes fundamental
change. Does the government continue to build motorways, does the government
sets up an environment which is benefitial for investments in renewable energy
or in coal. all this has a much bigger influence then my personal decisions.

------
spodek
I hope people use this news to motivate changing their behavior. Of course we
want governments, corporations, and other institutions to act. History shows
that the fastest most effective way is for each of us to start first.

Even if disaster is inevitable, there are degrees of disaster and even
individual actions can reduce suffering later.

The biggest thing I see everyone getting wrong about the environment is that
acting on one's environmental values is a burden or chore. I used to think so,
but found doing so improved my life, despite my expectations before acting.

Flying less, cutting out animal food, avoiding packaged food, etc. . . Now
that I do them, I wish I had changed earlier.

~~~
abalone
_> Of course we want governments, corporations, and other institutions to act.
History shows that the fastest most effective way is for each of us to start
first._

Exactly what history shows this? Every major case of social change I can think
of (civil rights, women's rights, labor rights, what environmental regulations
we have) has happened through mass movements not independent individual
choices.

The time is for collective action on this. @GretaThunberg has been quite
articulate about the need for immediate systemic change not just personal
choices. Also, great news today, thanks to action on the part of @sunrisemvmt
CNN will host a climate-focused Democratic primary debate. Movements can
change what is "possible".

~~~
squirrelicus
You're over estimating how much impact the West has on climate change.

[https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-
emis...](https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions)

There's only one solution that is known to be practical and based on non
speculative approaches: nuclear fission power. And we have to do it globally.
Even if emissions in the West drop to zero yesterday, it won't matter.

~~~
abalone
Your own source disagrees with you. It clearly shows the US is the top
cumulative CO2 producer and one of the highest annually.

~~~
vastoi
Right? The link also indicates that the US is one of the highest per capita
emitters as well.

------
daxfohl
Title seems a bit click-baity implying some new discovery showing massive
underestimation re global warming. The study itself was how fast does glacial
ice melt when it's under water, nothing particular related to climate change.

------
buraequete
Time to move to Nepal.

~~~
abalone
"The consequences of global warming have had the most impact in developing and
mountainous countries like Nepal..."

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_adaptation_in_N...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_change_adaptation_in_Nepal)

------
cosmic_shame
>“These glaciers aren’t getting lost that fast…they’ll be around for decades
to come,” says Sutherland.

------
patientplatypus
Welp. Pack it in boys, it's all over.

------
jfnixon
"They’ve really discovered that the melt that’s happening is fairly
dramatically different from some of the assumptions we’ve had"

Wait, you mean you actually have to validate assumptions against actual
measurement to make accurate conclusions? Who knew?

------
billions
The Bering Strait has already completely melted and because of this native
tribes can no longer cross as they had for generations

