http://www.commondreams.org/news2003/1205-01.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 5, 2003
5:28 AM

CONTACT: Greenpeace
Louise Fraser +61 409 993568

Disappearing Ice Sends a Warning for Global Climate Systems

MILAN, ITALY - December 5 - Ice in the polar regions, Greenland
and in glaciers around the world is melting at an alarming rate
as global temperatures increase, and could have radical
implications for the future global climate, according to an
upcoming book edited by glaciologists Dr Jonathan Bamber
and Dr Anthony Payne, of Bristol University.

The book "Mass Balance of the Cryosphere", written by a team
of 23 scientists examines the state of the frozen water in the
world, looking at the Arctic and Antarctic regions, Greenland,
glaciers and sea ice. The cryosphere comprises all the frozen
water and soil on the surface of the Earth, and is an important
indicator of short- and long-term climate change.

"In the Arctic, Greenland, West Antarctic and in glaciers globally,
ice and snow levels are generally in retreat, and the scientific
consensus that average global temperatures will continue to
increase over the next century means that the risk to these
already climatically sensitive areas is increasing," said
Dr Bamber, speaking at the Kyoto Protocol talks in Milan.

"Many people don't realise that there is much more at risk
than simply a loss of pristine wilderness. For example the
ocean currents that give Europe its relatively mild climate
could be disrupted by fresh water influxes from melting ice
in the Arctic and the Gulf Stream may slow down or even stop."

"If a dramatic change to the cryosphere takes place, it could
trigger rapid and catastrophic changes to the global climate
- enough to alter the current climate as we know it."

"The level of scientific understanding about how global
temperature increase affects snow and ice is constantly
improving and it appears that our estimates of how rapidly
the crysophere responds to climate change have been
underestimated in the past. And that means it's probably
going to be a lot worse than we understand it now."

Steve Sawyer, Greenpeace International political director
warned that the science of climate change could not be ignored.

"The melting ice is a clear signal of the consequences of
the failure of governments to live up to their obligations
under the Climate Convention to avoid dangerous climate
change," said Sawyer. "Climate change is upon us, and
the US, Australia and Russia's failure to take action
is immoral, illegal, and a declaration of war on future
generations and the poor in the developing world."

Key Findings

* The amount of Arctic summer sea ice has reduced dramatically
in the past 20 years and could disappear completely within
an estimated 100 years.

* Globally mountain and alpine glaciers everywhere are losing
mass, except for a few glaciers in Europe that are not
retreating. The rate of retreat is expected to accelerate
over the next Century.

* The Greenland ice sheet - the biggest ice mass in the
Northern Hemisphere - is losing mass from around its margins.
Some climate models predict it could lose half its mass in
the next 500-1000 years, contributing 3 m to global sea
level rise.

* Evidence indicates that some of the changes being seen
in the cryosphere are related to the underlying
anthropogenic (man-made) component of global warming.

Implications

* The implications of the decline of the cryosphere are
far reaching. These include risks of:

* Increased fresh water influxes from the Arctic which could
trigger a slow down or diversion of the thermohaline
circulation of the North Atlantic (Gulf Stream) that
helps give most of Europe its relatively mild climate.
In turn this could impact other sea currents and
temperatures around the globe.

* Global sea level rise measurable in metres, depending on
how much of the cryosphere is lost. A sea level rise of
only 1.5m would displace up to 17 million people in
Bangladesh alone.

* Increased moisture fluxes in the Arctic and Northern European
atmosphere, resulting in increased rainfall and serious
changes to the climate.

* Accelerated warming in the Arctic due to the strong feedback
between snow cover and absorption of solar radiation.

* Loss of habitat for Arctic animals such as polar bears,
seals and other large predators.

* Reduction of glacier meltwater, which in many parts of
the world provides water for human consumption, agriculture
and hydro-electricity.

"Mass Balance of the Cryosphere" will be published by Cambridge
University Press in January 2004.

###

[ return to top ]