Ice Caps Melting Faster

Whereas many of us have been experiencing cold and snowy winters, apparently that trend has not extended to the poles. In a recently released report, it has been noted that the icecaps in the North and South Poles are melting faster and more widespread than previously predicted. This is bad news for all of us that were hoping for a one year reprieve from global warming from colder regional temperatures. The study, as reported by the AP, doesn't paint a pretty picture:

By the end of the century, the accelerated melting could cause sea levels to climb by 3 to 5 feet — levels substantially higher than predicted by a major scientific group just two years ago.

Making matters worse, scientists said, the ice shelves that hold the glaciers back from the sea are also weakening.

The biggest of the western glaciers, the Pine Island Glacier, is moving 40 percent faster than it was in the 1970s... The Smith Glacier, also in west Antarctica, is moving 83 percent faster than in 1992... Together, all the glaciers in west Antarctica are losing a total of around 114 billion tons per year because the melting is much greater than the new snowfall.

This report is simply the most recent in an increasingly dire line of studies that confirm that humans are causing global warming and it is impacting our world. We cannot wait for others to act or wait for the next update on the rapidly crumbling glaciers. Now is the time to contact your represenatives to demand action on global warming. And now is the time to offset your carbon footprint.

(Image Courtesy of the AP)