Climate Change: What's the Rumpus with the Breaking Ice Caps

Posted by Jark
Filed in Environment
August 25, 2007

Could you be impressed by the most important photograph of this month? I read an interesting article at Checkerspot magazine a few days ago. It was about climate change and the breaking of some pretty hefty north-pole ice-caps. And I thought, hmmm, what's it got to do with Vancouver, and then I figured: Well, we care about this jazz. Not only for reasons like: we're hip and global climate change is a hip new topic, which are evidently enough to write about it here on BR, in these articles (1, 2, 3, ...); but also because we have a huge contingency of people who know what's up in the world, and who are seriously worried about it.

I think it would delight our readers to pose another occasion to discuss this and share news with each other. Anything relevant to this vast topic of climate change, cuz it's bloody huge and, well, very necessary to keep in the limelight.

To start off some disco, then, I found a bunch of handy facts that those who won't have time to read the article will find fascinating:

(1) The size of this ice-cap was huge: "Slightly bigger than the island of Manhattan, the shelf was large enough to contain a hundred or so icebergs, and was iceberg-like itself in that most of its 40-metre-thick mass existed below water."
(2) This break-off was reported to be one of the largest photographed climate changes in history: "virtually the entire shelf--amass spanning 87 square kilometres -- broke away from the shore.When the breakup was first reported in the waning days of 2006, Ayles, now widely deemed one of the latest sentinels of global change, achieved global infamy."

other shockers include things like:

(3) this month, the High Arctic is standing at a whopping 2-3 degrees Celcius, remarkably warm considering there is nothing but miles and miles of ice the size of highrises.
(4) every decade the arctic temperatures rise about 0.4 degrees Celsius: "All this took place against the backdrop of a general Arctic warming to the tune of 0.4°C per decade since 1966..."
(5) "Now, searching the Internet, Copland has yet to find a news source in any language in any country that hasn't picked up on Ayles -- Japan, Mauritius, Russia, India.... "It's absolutely huge in South America." The MODIS shots,meanwhile, appear all over the web, from Copland's own home page to CNN. They've been converted into a film by NASA animators and will appear in a BBC documentary."

What'ch'y'all think? Comments, Other readings, Thoughts?

Photo Credit: LandVike's photostream

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Great to see that you're looking at environmental issues Jarky. We should chat about it over beers at Cafe Deux Soleil ;-)

Posted by: Hummingbird604 at August 26, 2007 2:49 PM | Quote Comment

Roger that hummingbird604 -- i'm prepping a review of the BC Climate Change Plan which, to say the least, should be a much more critical expose. So, hummingbirdie, do we actually know each other: give me a clue! Not too many know the Jarky of Jark.

Posted by: Jark at August 26, 2007 2:58 PM | Quote Comment

Hey Jarky,

As a matter of fact, no, we have not met in person yet, though I do enjoy your writing on Beyond Robson! We discussed Jules Bistro and Bike Tour for Sustainability on BR's comments section, remember? Do drop by my blog sometime as well, I have commented on some environmental stuff (did you know the Holy See wants to go carbon-neutral?)

Posted by: Hummingbird604 at August 26, 2007 7:10 PM | Quote Comment

Hummingbirdie (aka, Raul)

thanks for the disposish. still curious about u picking up on the jarky thing, which makes me laugh. Something only other environmentalists (close to me ;) have been privy to using, haha. I did check out your blog brother, and we should definitely share some links and the like.

Hah, the Holy See, planning to plant trees in some hungarian national parks to offset the Vatican's energy emissions, that's hilarious... they must be farting alot these orthodos ;)

Posted by: Jark at August 26, 2007 7:26 PM | Quote Comment

Hey Jarky,

Did you see the shameless plug I wrote re-directing traffic to this post? You were an inspiration!

Posted by: Hummingbird604 at August 28, 2007 12:54 AM | Quote Comment

Raul, roger that... I noticed it, and roger for that. I hope the readers fire off to the two or three articles on the same issues (albeit more local stuff) thereafter. It's going to be an interesting little series. With footnotes ;) Cheers mate.

PS. hope my comment (at hummingbirdie) on the 'pop control' fiasco was constructive and useful. Cheers.

Jark.

Posted by: Jark at August 28, 2007 7:21 AM | Quote Comment

Thanks Jark!

Absolutely. I think it's great that you and BR are pushing for more environmental content. We can't deny the importance of it.

Yeah, comment very much appreciated. We should totally collaborate on future posts as per your comment on my blog! :-)

Cheers!

Posted by: Hummingbird604 at August 28, 2007 9:59 AM | Quote Comment