Thursday, September 24, 2009

The great thaw


A fresh and comprehensive study of satellite images of Antarctica and Greenland suggest the ice there is melting more quickly than previously thought.
(At the same time, there is evidence that more ice is building up in the interior of Antarctica -- the result of shifting weather patterns.)
Lasers from NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite bounce off glaciers to give scientiests the new data and suggest that those giant bodies of ice are thinning at increasing rates.
Coastal areas are melting the quickest, and may be as thawed today as any time in recorded history. The most likely cause: warmer ocean currents.

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