Ice mass snaps free from Canada’s Arctic – Yahoo! News
A giant ice shelf has snapped free from an island south of the North Pole, scientists said Thursday, citing climate change as a “major” reason for the event. The Ayles Ice Shelf — all 41 square miles of it — broke clear 16 months ago from the coast of Ellesmere Island, about 500 miles south of the North Pole in the Canadian Arctic. Scientists discovered the event by using satellite imagery. Within one hour of breaking free, the shelf had formed as a new ice island, leaving a trail of icy boulders floating in its wake.Warwick Vincent of Laval University, who studies Arctic conditions, traveled to the newly formed ice island and couldn’t believe what he saw.
“This is a dramatic and disturbing event. It shows that we are losing remarkable features of the Canadian North that have been in place for many thousands of years,” Vincent said. “We are crossing climate thresholds, and these may signal the onset of accelerated change ahead.”
Thanks Salma
We received more than a foot of snow last night. Sadly some people are still clueless about global warming. What happens when you throw a bunch of ice-cubes into a bowl of water? The water gets colder. When 41 square miles of ice break off and melt in the ocean, what happens? Weather patterns change! It will colder before it gets warmer, allowing some folks to go on pretending that there is no Global Warming. There will be no time to gloat as we will all have to work together to turn this ship around. This global warming trend might end up accelerating faster even than the change from CDs to downloads – my Higher Octave royalty statements already show more downloads than CD sales… – how is that for a strange mental tangent…
Here it is still snowing. Quite beautiful, actually. A thick blanket of snow. Quiet. Might have to cancel tomorrow night at GIG if it doesn’t let up and melt… no way my car will make it through this much snow and I hear from others that the streets in town are treacherous.
Update: We now have received two feet of snow. Must purchase a better snow shovel. Back is hurting. But, never complain about moisture in any form when you live in a desert…
Even more snow. Record snowfall in Santa Fe. Nobody is to drive on the streets. I-25 closed from Albuquerque to Denver. You couldn’t leave Santa Fe if you wanted to…
Odd stuff indeed…I’m sitting in Wisconsin and we haven’t had any snow for two months.
It’s baffling that it’s so hard for people grasp that we humans affect the world far beyond our own little bubbles. The choices that I make, or you make, or any of us make, have repurcussions that will affect the entire planet over time.
Thanks for your blog by the way. Love your tunes and your outlook on life is refreshing.
Ottmar, you really have a lot of snow in Santa Fe!!! With this much snow, it’s better not to be out on the road. So, it was a wise decision to postpone the show, though the people will be disappointed.
Thanks for bringing up the serious issue about global warming and the much needed discussion on this subject. The weather pattern is changing faster than any of us had anticipated. A warm balmy December has been welcomed by most of us on the east coast, and it’s very pleasing to be walking outdoors in a light fleece shirt. But, it’s alarming to see how this kind of weather has effected the trees, bushes and the wildlife domain. In order to understand the complexities and problems of these weather changes a discussion in one of my ‘flickr’ groups was started. Given below is the link to the discussion:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/voices/discuss/72157594443508801/
Thanks again for your efforts to improve this world with your music and by educating us about our environment and surroundings.
Ottmar…as a beginner i am alwayes findinge how incredibly vast our worlde is withe knowledge and abilities…probably wise choice to cancel the gig due to deep snowes…i too have heard global warminge will actually begin a cold spell creatinge confusinge changes in weather patternes…zazen is new to me though the idea of meditatinge and “sittinge” and just “listeninge” are not…i also finde this helpful…thankyou for sharinge here…i can’t promise to alwayes understande though i do enjoye readinge the opiniones of otheres…love the stain teacup idea very much…alwayes amore y paz, llindaskaye ***********