Re: Massive ice shelf collapsing off Antarctica

On Mar 27, 2:35 pm, Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy
<tausti...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Gene Ward Smith <g...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
innews:Xns9A6E71DB56A6Dgenewardsmithsbcglob@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> > Gutless Umbrella Carrying Sissy <tausti...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
> >news:Xns9A6E707C3A18Ctaustingmail@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> >> So, what you're saying is, it's not as simple and chanting
> >> "Global Warming!" over and over while dancing naked around a
> >> golden idol of Al Gore?

The only leading politician who understood the issue as well as Gore
was Margaret Thatcher - I had a chat with her science adviser once.
Those are two names you don't often see linked.

But sure, if you can get the extremists to so dance by all means
do so.  "I can deal with my opponents, it's my 'friends' who give
me problems."

Mind you, I'm not saying it would be a bad idea to get a group of
people to chant "natural variability" over and over while dancing in
polyester suits around a coal idol of Dick Cheney.

> > It seems to me it's more like he's saying don't try to use a
> > cold Antarctica as an argument against global warming.

That, definitely.

>
> It seems to me that it might be unwise to use a failing ice shelf
> as an argument *for* global warming

But this also. Particularly as there is so much better
evidence.

It reminds me of the question I heard in San Francisco
during the 98 El Nino "Is this storm due to El Nino"?

Ice shelves have broken away before.  When it is a huge and
unprecedented event like Larsen B that's one thing, but as far
as I can tell breaks like this one were not unknown in  the
past.  If they are occurring more frequently that is again
something to consider, but this claim was not made in any
articles I read.

Note "as far as I can tell".  The stories were short on science, and
it is possible that there is data linking  this collapse to the larger
picture.

when the area around it appears
> to be cooling.

The Antarctic peninsula is warming, and warming fairly seriously.
But yes, Antarctica as a whole is neutral to cooling.

William Hyde