The Colorado Springs Independent explains how rapidly warming southern oceans are causing more sea ice to form, and how deep currents of warm water are melting the ice at -40C in the interior of Antarctica.
Melting at the Earth’s poles has long been considered a major warning sign of global warming, so when two recent studies indicated a slowing of overall surface warming across Antarctica — and even some ice gain — skeptics took it as solid proof of their point. The problem is, NASA satellite data shows that Antarctica has been losing more than 24 cubic miles of ice each year since 2002.
The “discrepancy” boils down to two things: First, there’s a big difference between land ice and sea ice. Sea ice is increasing, but it’s not because Antarctica is cooling — in fact, the Southern Ocean is warming faster than any other ocean on earth. It’s due to a series of events including the hole in the ozone layer and wind currents pushing sea ice around.
Second, scientists suspect that Antarctic ice shelves are being eroded from underneath by warming seas, and satellites can’t measure under the ice. While there’s not much happening in East Antarctica, which is a high, dry desert making up two-thirds of the continent, West Antarctica — a series of ice-covered islands that rest on the ocean floor — is retreating at a dramatic pace, especially along the southern portion of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The Peninsula is the farthest point from the South Pole, so its deterioration could be a sign of what’s to come for the rest of the continent.
http://www.csindy.com/colorado/yes-this-is-happening/Content?oid=1974111
