Latest Glacier claims debunked

More Alarmist Nonsense About Glaciers

https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2015/04/02/more-alarmist-nonsense-about-glaciers/

By Paul Homewood http://m.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/31/1373930/-Massive-Glacier-Melt-and-Fresh-Water-are-Pouring-into-the-Gulf-of-Alaska?detail=email More from the “We’re all going to die, and its all YOUR fault” Department! The Daily KOS are concerned about Alaskan glaciers: The world is changing before our very eyes yet most of us choose to ignore it. There has been a lot of horrible news lately regarding the rapid melting of the planets snow and ice. Irreversible melt in Antarctica, ice free arctic ocean in summer, and massive ice shelves that have held back Antarctica’s glaciers for tens of thousands of years are now cracking. In Alaska, land based melting glaciers are rapidly retreating under the pressure of their own weight and the forces of gravity. The National Snow and Ice Data Center explains how a glacier moves. “Glaciers move by internal deformation of the ice, and by sliding over the rocks and sediments at the base. Internal deformation occurs when the weight and mass of a glacier causes it to spread out due to gravity. Sliding occurs when the glacier slides on a thin layer of water at the bottom of the glacier. This water may come from glacial melting due to the pressure of the overlying ice or from water that has worked its way through cracks in the glacier. Glaciers can also readily slide on a soft sediment bed that has some water in it. This is known as basal sliding and may account for most of the movement of thin, cold glaciers on steep slopes or only 10 to 20 percent of the movement of warm, thick glaciers lying on gentle slopes. When a glacier moves rapidly around a rock outcrop or over a steep area in the bedrock, internal stresses build up in the ice. These stresses can cause cracks, or crevasses, on the glacier surface.” Alaska’s southern coast glaciers that once terminated in the ocean, have now retreated far up Alaska’s valleys. A recent study shows that fresh water and glacial melt from these retreating glaciers are “pouring into the Gulf of Alaska accumulating more water than is seen in some of the world’s great rivers”. The Oregon State study reports the tragic news. Incessant mountain rain, snow and melting glaciers in a comparatively small region of land that hugs the southern Alaska coast and empties fresh water into the Gulf of Alaska would create the sixth largest coastal river in the world …

Antarctic Sea Ice Close To Record High In March

Antarctic Sea Ice Close To Record High In March

https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/antarctic-sea-ice-close-to-record-high-in-march/

By Paul Homewood http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/index.html Antarctic sea ice extent continues to run at well above average, with March extent 2nd highest on record, behind 2008. http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/index.html Sea ice ice grew rapidly during the month, as temperatures dived, adding 2.7 million sq km. At the end of March, extent was 1.2 million sq km above average, or 22% higher. As a result, global sea ice area, according to Cryosphere Today, finished the month slightly above the long term mean. http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/global.daily.ice.area.withtrend.jpg

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Superb sea ice conditions for polar bears worldwide during their critical feeding period

Superb sea ice conditions for polar bears worldwide during their critical feeding period

http://polarbearscience.com/2015/04/03/superb-sea-ice-conditions-for-polar-bears-worldwide-during-their-critical-feeding-period

Prognosis, excellent. The sea ice hunting platform that polar bears require is everywhere and Davis Strait ice extent is the fourth-highest it’s ever been at this time of year. The spring feeding period is a messy, brutal business – many cute baby seals will die as polar bears consume 2/3rds of their yearly food supply over the next few months (April – June/early July), while sea ice is abundant. That leaves the remaining 1/3 of their energetic needs to be met over the following 9 months (most of it in late fall (late November/December) and hardly any during the summer months, regardless of whether the bears are on land or out on the sea ice) or over the winter. In their study comparing Eastern [now Southern] Beaufort and Western Hudson Bay polar bear Stirling and Lunn (1997:176) concluded: “From the results presented above, it seems clear that the most critical factor affecting reproductive success, subsequent condition and probably survival of polar bears is the availability of ringed seal pups from about mid-April through to breakup sometime in July.” [my bold] And apparently, polar bear biologists Ian Stirling and Andrew Derocher concur (2012: 2698): “Stirling & Øritsland (1995) estimated that in most areas, polar bears likely accumulate two thirds or more of the energy they will need for the entire year during the late spring and early summer before breakup. The long open water season in much of the Arctic necessitates accumulation of fat reserves.” [my bold] Hudson Bay is still virtually filled with ice, as is usual for this time of year, shown below — it isn’t even close to breakup: Sea ice on Canada’s East Coast is above average for this date (see inset map in graph below, region defined is marked in red), click to enlarge: Davis Strait (the north end of the “Davis Strait” polar bear subpopulation region) is well above average for this date – the fourth highest it’s ever been (after 1990 (3rd), 1982 and 1993, tied for 1st): Ice in the Southern Labrador Sea, where huge harp seal pupping grounds are located, is also above average: East Newfoundland waters are also more filled with pack ice than usual, explaining recent polar bear sightings in and around Newfoundland: Below, at an extent of 14.33 mkm2 on April 2, NSIDC map shows …