Global warming: Sea level rises may accelerate due to melting ice sheet

The vast Greenland ice sheet could begin to melt more rapidly than expected towards the end of the century, accelerating the rise in sea levels as a result of global warming, scientists warned yesterday.
Water running off the ice sheet could triple the current rate of sea level rise to around 9mm a year, leading to a global rise of almost 1 metre per century, the researchers found.
Sea levels are already on the rise as a result of increasing temperatures, because the oceans expand as they warm up, but until now scientists have had a poor understanding of how quickly ice sheets such as those in Greenland and Antarctica will begin to disappear.
There are signs that the Greenland ice sheet, which covers 1.7 million square kilometres of land, has already begun to melt faster than expected. The reason is thought to be surface water on the ice sheet trickling down through fissures to the underlying bedrock, making the ice sheet less stable, and the loss of buttressing ice shelves along the coastline.

Climate scientists are uncertain how susceptible ice sheets are to global warming, largely because they have never witnessed one disappear, so researchers led by Anders Carlson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison decided to look back to the end of the last ice age for clues.
Around 20,000 years ago, when the last ice age was at its peak, a giant mass of frozen water called the Laurentide ice sheet covered much of what is now North America. The ice sheet, which was three miles thick in some places, had almost completely melted 6,500 years ago as the world warmed as part of its natural cycle. At the time, surface air temperatures were similar to those that climate scientists predict for 2100.
The researchers used evidence in the geological record and computer simulations to reconstruct the demise of the Laurentide ice sheet, which was the last ice sheet to completely disappear in the northern hemisphere.
They dated boulders and fossilised organisms left on fresh ground as the ice sheet retreated, and found that it went through two periods of rapid melting. Computer simulations revealed that around 9,000 years ago, water melting off the ice sheet caused sea levels to rise by about 7 metres at a rate of around 1.3cm a year. The second stage of rapid melting began 7,500 years ago, when sea levels rose by 5 metres at a rate of around 0.7cm a year.
The reconstruction suggests that the Greenland ice sheet may melt in a similar fashion. "We have never seen an ice sheet retreat significantly or even disappear before, yet this may happen for the Greenland ice sheet in the coming centuries to millenia," said Carlson, whose study appears in the journal Nature Geoscience.
"We're not talking about something catastrophic, but we could see a much bigger response in terms of sea level from the Greenland ice sheet over the next 100 years than what is currently predicted," Carlson added.
The most recent report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that sea levels will have risen by around 10cm at most by 2100, but according to Carlson's analysis, rapid melting of the Greenland ice sheet could cause much greater rises.
"For planning purposes, we should see the IPCC projections as conservative," he said. "We think this is a very low estimate of what the Greenland ice sheet will contribute to sea level."
In an accompanying article, Mark Sidall at Bristol University describes how a 1 metre rise in sea level would submerge an estimated 2.2m square kilometres of land, largely in Asia, and displace around 145 million people at a global cost of $944 billion.
He points out, though, that while the Laurentide ice sheet completely vanished at the end of the last ice age, the Greenland ice sheet remains, suggesting it is more resistant to warming. "To what extent this dynamic response of the Laurentide ice sheet to past temperature change can be considered analagous to present and future reduction of the Greenland ice sheet remains unresolved," he writes. "But [the researchers'] work suggests that future reductions of the Greenland ice sheet on the order of 1 metre per century are not out of the question."

Indonesian Strategic Island is threatened to Sink; Thousands of Inhabitant’s Rights were Taken Forcefully by Deforestation

WALHI 22/12/09, Pekanbaru – Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI) Riau is launching investigation report on deforestation by Sumatera Riang Lestari Ltd, a group with Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper Ltd (RAPP) and Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL). At least 1,000 hectares of natural forests in Rangsang Island, Kepulauan Meranti district, Riau has been cut down by SRL Ltd since May 2009. It threatens to sink one of the strategic islands in Indonesia, as well as causing carbon emissions release in that peat-land.

WALHI Riau conducted investigation in the concession of Sumatera Riang Lestari at Rangsang Island during July – August 2009. Investigation team found log piles that were estimated reaching 1,500 m3 and wood piles for pulp raw materials around 5,000 m3. Besides, 4 units of excavator were found pulling timber woods.

SRL Ltd was also found to made canals in peat-land as well as setting up log yard (location for piling logs) in the planned harbour. WALHI team also found canals set up reaching 10 km and 12 meter width with 5 meter depth.

WALHI team has collected public information and data related to the expansion of SRL Ltd in Rangsang Island. A number of inhabitant’s rejection documents have been obtained from 13 villages within Rangsang sub-district, showing how hard the refusal is against logging operation in peat-land by SRL Ltd.

“With the existence of pulpwood plantation by RAPP Ltd group would be a real threat for local inhabitants, either from environmental aspect or their own existence,” said Hariansyah “Kaka” Usman, Executive Director of WALHI Riau. “The presence of these plantation companies will eliminate public rights for livelihood from their own forest since they highly depend themselves on this forest.”

The expansion of SRL Ltd plantation on peat-land which supposes to be protected has caused significant CO2 carbon emissions. The expansion area of this company’s plantation is done in natural forest that should be preserved since it is still in good condition. WALHI Riau considers that the expansion has also put endangered species as well as fauna species of ramin tree in jeopardy. The company’s activities have also trigger abrasion in that strategic island as well as drought in some lakes (tasik) due to peat-land canal drainage.

From this investigation, WALHI found several interesting issues such as singularity and controversy that worth to be observed. SRL Ltd legality in 18,890 ha wide Rangsang Island as part of the 215,305 ha company concession, that was previously indicated from ex-logging concession of National Timber Ltd. Logging concession or Annual Work Plan for SRL Ltd was obtained directly from Forestry Minister without active participation of Provincial Forestry Bureau as usual.

“This certainly worth to be questioned, why the recommendation from local authority was not made as consideration in this decision making?” said Hariansyah. WALHI Riau also indicates that the company’s activities are not equipped with AMDAL and recommendation from local authority since the company only admit to gain approval from Bengkalis Reagent and Governor of Riau.

The expansion of SRL Ltd logging concession emerges social conflict and inhabitants’ unrest, proven by a sum of protests from the community who consider their life being threatened by this company’s operations. “Peat-land deforestation by SRL Ltd has not only put Rangsang Island peat-land in jeopardy, but also threatens Indonesia’s border island which is very strategic in the aspect of Indonesia’s national security and defence. This certainly is a serious matter and can not be ignored just like that,” adds Hariansyah.

Due to the amount of problems caused by the expansion of SRL Ltd logging concession as well as many interests are in danger, ranging from public social-economic, natural forest, peat-land ecosystem, endangered species of Ramin, wildlife, Indonesia’s strategic border island is being threatened, and the release of carbon emissions, therefore WALHI Riau recommends Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings (APRIL), RAPP Ltd and SRL Ltd to stop deforesting natural forest in Rangsang Island. WALHI recommends Forestry Department to review and cancel the permit given to SRL Ltd due to the sum of problems caused against the ecosystem and community, in addition to the controversy in term of licensing indicated of being corrupt.

The Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the atmosphere (water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, for example) trap energy from the sun. Without these gases, heat would escape back into space and Earth’s average temperature would be about 60ºF colder. Because of how they warm our world, these gases are referred to as greenhouse gases.

Have you ever seen a greenhouse? Most greenhouses look like a small glass house. Greenhouses are used to grow plants, especially in the winter. Greenhouses work by trapping heat from the sun. The glass panels of the greenhouse let in light but keep heat from escaping. This causes the greenhouse to heat up, much like the inside of a car parked in sunlight, and keeps the plants warm enough to live in the winter. The Earth’s atmosphere is all around us. It is the air that we breathe. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere behave much like the glass panes in a greenhouse. Sunlight enters the Earth's atmosphere, passing through the blanket of greenhouse gases. As it reaches the Earth's surface, land, water, and biosphere absorb the sunlight’s energy. Once absorbed, this energy is sent back into the atmosphere. Some of the energy passes back into space, but much of it remains trapped in the atmosphere by the greenhouse gases, causing our world to heat up. (D) The greenhouse effect is important. Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would not be warm enough for humans to live. But if the greenhouse effect becomes stronger, it could make the Earth warmer than usual. Even a little extra warming may cause problems for humans, plants, and animals.

Climate Change in Indonesia

The devastating impact of global warming is already evident in Indonesia and will likely worsen due to further human-induced climate change, warns WWF.
The review from the global conservation organization, Climate Change in Indonesia – Implications for Humans and Nature, highlights that annual rainfall in the world’s fourth most populous nation is already down by 2 to 3 per cent, and the seasons are changing.
The combination of high population density and high levels of biodiversity, together with a staggering 80,000 kilometres of coastline and 17,500 islands, makes Indonesia one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change.


Cleaning forest fire for palm oil plantation (Slash & Burn) Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Indonesia is a significant emitter of greenhouse gases due to deforestation and land-use change. (Credit: Copyright WWF-Canon / Alain Compost)


Shifting weather patterns have made it increasingly difficult for Indonesian farmers to decide when to plant their crops, and erratic droughts and rainfall has led to crop failures. A recent study by a local research institute said that Indonesia had lost 300,000 tonnes of crop production every year between 1992-2000, three times the annual loss in the previous decade.
Climate change in Indonesia means millions of fishermen are also facing harsher weather conditions, while dwindling fish stocks affect their income. Indonesia's 40 million poor, including farmers and fishermen, will be the worst affected due to threats including rising sea levels, prolonged droughts and tropical cyclones, the report said.
“As rainfall decreases during critical times of the year this translates into higher drought risk, consequently a decrease in crop yields, economic instability and drastically more undernourished people,” says Fitrian Ardiansyah, Director of WWF-Indonesia’s Climate and Energy Programme. “This will undo Indonesia’s progress against poverty and food insecurity.”
WWF’s review shows that increased rainfall during already wet times of the year may lead to high flood risk, such as the Jakarta flood of February this year that killed more than 65 people and displaced nearly half a million people, with economic losses of US$450 million.
Climate change impacts are noticeable throughout the Asia-Pacific region. More frequent and severe heat waves, floods, extreme weather events and prolonged droughts will continue to lead to increased injury, illness and death. Continued warming temperatures will also increase the number of malaria and dengue fever cases and lead to an increase in other infectious diseases as a result of poor nutrition due to food production disruption.
“The Indonesian government must take its role seriously and lead the way in the fight against global climate change,” says Mubariq Ahmed, Executive Director and CEO of WWF-Indonesia. “Indonesia has to take up the challenge of climate change, putting climate adaption into the development agenda, promoting sustainable land use, as well as demanding support from industrialized nations.”
Indonesia is already a significant emitter of greenhouse gases due to deforestation and land-use change, estimated at 2 million hectares per year and accounts for 85 per cent of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a serious coal producer and user in the region.
“The government of Indonesia knows how important action against climate change is for their own country and people, and it has put a lot of work into steering the Bali negotiations,” says Hans Verolme, Director of WWF’s Global Climate Change Programme.
No one can escape from climate change in Indonesia. But the effects will be felt more acutely by the poorest people, who are living in the most marginal areas that are vulnerable to drought, for example, or to floods and landslide. Developed countries are responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions which cause global warming, said United Nations Development Programme’s Country Director Hakan Bjorkman. "The poor walk the earth with very light carbon footprint," Bjorkman said, but "they are set to suffer the most from the actions of a few."

Can Earth EXPLODE

The real danger for our entire civilization comes not from slow climate changes, but from overheating the planetary interior.

Galileo discovered that Earth moves. Copernicus discovered that Earth moves around the Sun. In 2000 Tom Chalko, inspired by Desmarquet's report, discovered that the solid nucleus of our planet is in principle a nuclear reactor, it is eccentric, and that our collective ignorance may cause it to overheat and explode. The discovery has been published in June 2001 by the new scientific journal NUJournal.net.


Polar ice caps melt not because the air there is warmer than 0 deg Celsius, but because they are overheated from underneath. Volcanoes become active and erupt violently not because the Earth's interior "crystallizes", but because the planetary nucleus is a nuclear fission reactor that needs COOLING.

It seems that the currently adopted doctrine of a "crystalline inner core of Earth" is more dangerous for humanity than all weapons of mass destruction taken together, because it prevents us from imagining, predicting and preventing truly global disasters.

In any nuclear reactor, the danger of overheating has to be recognized early. When external symptoms intensify it is usually too late to prevent disaster. Do we have enough imagination, intelligence and integrity to comprehend the danger before the situation becomes irreversible?

It seems that if we do not do anything today about Greenhouse Emissions that cause the entire atmosphere to trap more Solar Heat, we may not survive the next decade. In a systematically under-cooled spherical core reactor the cumulative cause-effect relationship is hyperbolic and leads to explosion. It seems that there will be no second chance...

If you doubt whether a planet can explode - you need to see a witness report of a planetary explosion in our Solar system. Plato (428-348 BC) reported that the explosion of the planet Phaeton had been perceived by our ancestors on Earth to be as bright as lightning...

  1. The last few years were the WARMEST ever recorded on Earth. The trend continues.
  2.Huge parts of Antarctic and Arctic ice have already melted. Key Antarctic glaciers (Hektoria, Green and     Evans for example) increased their melting rate 8 times in 3 years (between 2000 and 2003, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L18401). When glaciers begin to slide to the ocean, the sea level rise will cause not only tsunamis but a global planetary flood.

 3. Volcanoes become active under Arctic Ocean and in Antarctica

4.In the past, volcanic activity was followed by decades of dormancy. Today, when volcanoes erupt they remain active and the neighboring volcanoes erupt...
 5.The Largest Volcanoes on Earth have lost their snow-caps

6.Oceans are warmer than ever. Their increased evaporation produces large amount of clouds, rain and widespread flooding
 7.Oceans around Antarctica at depths of 5 km are less salty and less dense confirming that Antarctica is melting from underneath. The fresh water is lighter than salt water, so it should be on top...
 8.In heated oceans all currents are severely disrupted
 9.Mountain glaciers melt around the globe
 10.The weather around the globe becomes more violent every month
 11.Trees begun to BLOOM in winter. Photos on the left show Australian blackwood trees blooming in August (Mt Best, Victoria). This is equivalent to European and USA trees blooming in February. Plants detect "season" by monitoring the soil temperature.
 12.Energy of earthquakes systematically increases. The graph on the left depicts the annual quake energy since record begun in 1973, computed on the basis of USGS scientific data from all quakes above 4.0 magnitude since 1973. The data is compared (scaled) to 1973 quake energy. The energy of earthuakes 7.0 and above increased 6 times in the same period...

According to the current "scientific" dogmas, the planetary interior "crystallizes" and becomes less liquid as the time goes on. So, tectonic plate motion should become slower in time and quakes should become less frequent and less energetic. The evidence presented in the graph on the left demonstrates exactly the opposite.

In the period of time when the planetary climate changed by a small fraction of one degree, earthquakes have become 5 times more energetic. I wonder why no one on Earth makes any notice of this? WHY ???

NASA measurements confirm (Science 308, 1431-1435) that Earth absorbs more energy from the Sun that it is able to reflect to space - about 0.85 MegaWatt per square kilometer more. Pollution increases daily and Solar activity is on the increase until 2012. Global increase in tectonic, volcanic and seismic activity seems certain. Have we reached the point of no return?


Some people claim that the observable earthquake energy rise is due to "improved equpiment" and/or "increasing the number of seismic stations". This claim cannot be true. Waves from large quakes travel around the globe and are detectable ANYWHERE. Since time of Cold War there is enough seismic stations on Earth to pin-point location of a nuclear explosion (a quake 4.0) within a few km.

Increasing number of seismic stations and better equipment can only be responsible for the increase in the number of "small" quakes being detected. The global energy of "small" earthquakes (below 7.0) increased only by 40% since 1973. In contrast, the global energy of quakes 7.0 and above increased 6 times in the same period. This is not any theory. It is an observable FACT.

What causes an 8-fold increase in Antarctic glacier melting in just 3 years? Sun does not deliver 8 times the energy under the Antarctic ice does it? Some scientists predict that effects of "global warming" will take many decades. Can they explain the increase of the melting rate of Antarctic glaciers 8 times in 3 years? Overheating of the fission heated planetary interior can...

"Climate change" cannnot explain why deep Antarctic Ocean gets less salty and less dense. Overheating of the fission heated planetary interior can... Antarctica is just about the only "heatsink" left available for the planetary interior.

The matter seems URGENT. Please forward this page (or the link to it) to ANY scientist or person of integrity whom you know. Our ONLY chance seems to be to UNDERSTAND and PROVE to everyone what will happen if we do not change our attitude to atmospheric pollution. Avoid the mass media - it seems that they are controlled by those who run the "economy" and are interested in keeping humanity misinformed to the greatest extent possible.

To withhold, distort or otherwise interfere with the truth about the Planetary Core is a Crime Against Humanity - one of the greatest crimes that man can commit.

Megacities must tie clean air goals to carbon cuts

Residents of megacities often experience severe health problems because of pollution


[BEIJING] Residents of the world's largest cities are ideally positioned to achieve the twin goals of clean air and lower carbon emissions, according to scientists in China and the US.

The sheer density of populations in the world's 19 megacities — cities containing 10 million people or more — means the financial resources are available to tackle the combined problem of air pollution and climate change, say environment scientist Zhu Tong from Peking University and David Parrish from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US in an article published in Science last month (30 October).

Making public transport and buildings more energy efficient is key to cleaning the air and lowering overall energy consumption, argue the article's authors.

"If proper measures are taken, we can not only reclaim clean air in megacities, but also reduce carbon dioxide emissions," Zhu told SciDev.Net.

He added: "More advanced technologies and a better chance of generating wealth and managing energy enable megacities to reduce air pollution and control climate change in a more efficient way."

Residents of megacities are exposed to airborne particles and ozone that are known to cause severe health problems, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

All of today's megacities fall below the WHO standard for particulate matter, and the problem of pollution mushrooms as cities grow.

Half of humanity now lives in cities and the number of megacities is expected to reach 27 by 2025.

The two goals have often conflicted rather than coincided, the scientists observed.

Traditionally, catalytic converters have been used to reduce vehicle exhaust fumes, but these do not lower carbon dioxide emissions, says Zhu. Driving clean-energy vehicles, on the other hand, tackles both problems.

Zhu cites Beijing as an example of a megacity that has successfully linked air pollution with climate change in its environmental policies.

During the 2008 Olympics, the city implemented harsh emissions controls on vehicles and also restricted heavy truck traffic at night, resulting in cleaner air.

"Reducing air pollutants and controlling climate change generate co-benefits," agreed Wu Changhua, Greater China Director of The Climate Group

Planet Earth 2