For those who thought that glacial melting due to climate change mainly affected Greenland and mountain glaciers like in the Himalayas, think again. A new NASA/UC Irvine study reports that melting of West Antarctica's glaciers "appears unstoppable".
"Large portions of the massive ice sheet in West Antarctica are melting — and there's likely nothing we can do to stop the decline," writes Brad Plumer for Vox, Ezra Klein's new media venture, about a new study by researchers at NASA and the University of California, Irvine.
The key question is how quickly all that ice will melt into the ocean and push up sea levels in the decades and centuries ahead.
For readers concerned about sea-level rise, the study makes some important changes to what had been predicted because the glaciers "appear to be dwindling even faster than scientists thought." It "means forecasts for future sea-level rise may have to be revised upward. (The current consensus holds that global average sea levels will rise between 1 foot and 4 feet by 2100,) adds Plumer.
Note that "ice sheet" and "glaciers" are used interchangeably by both Plumer and NASA.
According to the UC Irvine press release, the study incorporated "40 years of observations – that six massive glaciers in the Amundsen Sea sector 'have passed the point of no return,' according to glaciologist Eric Rignot, a UC Irvine Earth system science professor who is also with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory."
One final note on why the ice sheets are melting. "It's not because the air in Antarctica has been heating up. Instead, strong winds are pulling warmer water from the deep oceans toward the glaciers and melting the ice sheet from below," writes Plumer. "Natural fluctuations and the ozone hole over Antarctica may also be playing a role."
FULL STORY: Vox: Eventual collapse of West Antarctica's glaciers "appears unstoppable"
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association