A huge ice island is floating free in Arctic waters after splitting from the Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland. University of Delaware researcher Andreas Muenchow announced the calving took place in the early morning of August 5 and amounts to the largest ice chunk lost in the Arctic since 1962. It measures 100 square miles and 625 feet thick. The National Ice Center provides a satellite image and map here.

According to Muenchow, the island is "four times the size of Manhattan," and equated to 25 percent of the formerly 43-mile long Petermann Glacier. Its thickness is about half the height of the Empire State Building. "The freshwater stored in this ice island could keep the Delaware or Hudson rivers flowing for more than two years," explained Muenchow. "It could also keep all U.S. public tap water flowing for 120 days."

His associate, Trudy Wohllenben of the Canadian Ice Service, first discovered the island. Her organization identifies this as the third major calving event from Petermann Glacier since 2001. Wohllenben and Muenchow are two of a team of scientists working with the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct research in Nares Strait between Greenland and Canada.

These scientists believe the new ice island will enter Nares Strait and either block it or break up and lodge between real islands in the Strait. Such was the fate of a 230-square-mile ice chunk which calved from the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf in Canada in 1962. Another possibility is that the pieces could travel south toward the Atlantic over the course of the next two years and melt in warmer waters. Right now, the island is floating about 620 miles south of the North Pole.

Neither Muenchow nor Wohllenben identified the cause of this calving event, but media sources are quick to blame global warming. The Sydney Morning Herald cites the ice island as the latest climate-change tragedy in a long list of weather related catastrophes. It quoted Peter McGuire, managing director at CWA Global Markets, saying "Mother Nature is playing a very evil hand. It's always the poor that suffer."

CNN reports, "Environmentalists say ice melt is being caused by global warming with Arctic temperature in the 1990s reaching their warmest level of any decade in at least 2,000 years." However, the Science and Public Policy Institute (SPPI) published an April 2009 study revealing a downward trend in Arctic temperatures since the 1940s.  It quoted 2008 NASA research attributing Arctic ice melt to "unusual northbound currents and winds" bringing warm water toward the north and blowing sea ice southward.

Moreover, calving is not the same as melting. Calving happens when a section of ice breaks off a glacier, iceberg, or ice shelf, which may have nothing to do with melting. Obama's chief science advisor, John Holdren, described calving caused by too much ice in a 1971 essay warning of the dangers of a coming ice age: "Even more dramatic results are possible, however; for instance, a sudden outward slumping of the Antarctic ice cap, induced by added weight, could generate a tidal wave of proportions unprecedented in recorded history." Admittedly, such an outlandish prediction does undermine Holdren's credibility, but it is true that calving is just as likely to be caused by buildup of ice as by melting. In the case of the Petermann Glacier, it is more likely because the Greenland ice sheet increased by two inches per year from 1993 through 2003, and "radar stations in northern Greenland are rapidly being surrounded by the growing ice sheet," reports SPPI.

The CNN story goes on to lament, "Current trends could see the Arctic Ocean become ice free in summer months within decades, researchers predict." The implication is an ice-free summer would forebode doom, yet CNN is pulling a bait-and-switch. Sea ice is not the same as glaciers, icebergs, and ice shelves, all of which originate on land. Sea ice is simply frozen ocean water. And scientists agree cyclical changes in sea ice are common. The University of Illinois' chart of global sea ice extent in the past 30 years shows practically no trend whatsoever, with 2008 and 2009 peak sea-ice seasons equivalent to the 1979-2000 mean.

So even though the Petermann Glacier calving can hardly be classified as a threat to the environment or a portent of impending disaster, depend upon major media to warn otherwise. Just remember, Greenland didn't get its name by being covered with ice as it is today. And as SPPI noted, “the Greenland ice sheet was entirely absent 850,000 years ago: therefore, even if Greenland's ice were to melt, its disappearance would be entirely within the natural variability of the climate."

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Poor reporting, Lowly rated comment [Show]

Patrick Lockerby said:

Can we start by getting the facts right? The Canadian Ice Service published their news release on August 06 2010. I published August 05 2010 and my story attracted comments in my own column and other blogs the same day, as a simple Google search for "Petermann ice" or "Petermann Lockerby" can prove. In science, the first to publish is the one who gets the credit - just as with patents. This is doubly important when an accurate prediction of the event has been published by the same author. Not only did I publish first, I predicted on Jul 22 that Petermann ice tongue would calve "any day soon" and published an image showing where it would calve. That image stands fair comparison with the actual island calved as to shape and size. [url=http://www.science20.com/chatter_box/ arctic_newsflash_petermann_ice_tongue_loses_huge_chunk[ /url] My article on the science 2.0 web site science20.com was immediately picked up by the Arctic Sea Ice blogger Neven: http://neven1.typepad.com/blog...ge_chunk[ /url] My article on the science 2.0 web site science20.com was immediately picked up by the Arctic Sea Ice blogger Neven: http://neven1.typepad.com/blog...ongue.html Neven commented on August 05 2010: "And the catch of this melting season goes to Patrick Lockerby". Reliance on a press release without further fact checking has led the media astray before. Now that you have the facts, will you please amend your article? Thank you.

August 08, 2010 | url

..., Lowly rated comment [Show]

Swami said:

... "Especially since the SPPI was started for the specific reason of countering the argument for global warming and no other purpose." Irrelevant. Countless groups exist for the specific reason of promoting the argument and the argument is highly polarized. Ergo, this is the only way to get two sides of a debate. But thank you for demonstrating the "smear the other side with ad hominem" technique. "Poor Reporting" in reality, consists of uncritically repeating the claims of one particular side.

August 08, 2010

Noel Ward said:

Taking sides What strikes me as interesting is that this article doesn't use much data to back up the statements. And uses only the U Illinois data without explanations. But that's a conservative policy, anyway. If you follow the daily ice limits in the Arctic, studying multiple sources for data, you quickly see the differences year to year. And interestingly, the U Illinois data shows the same trend of lessening summer sea ice. Even a high school level understanding of statistics shows that we're presently seeing changes outside the range of data from 1979 to 2000. Whether this is simply cyclical or not is harder to determine, but the facts of the change are not.

August 08, 2010 | url

JJ Suprise said:

Dogs with frisbees Global cooling, er, Global warming, er, Climate Change, ah, there we have it! Now no matter what happens the "progressive" Chicken Littles and Gorbots can't lose!!! Like a dog with a frisbee, to matter how badly these "progressives" purger themselves it doesn't matter, the sky is still falling and it is our fault, not the Suns, NO MATTER WHAT! JJ Suprise Sandy, Utah

August 08, 2010 | url

Paul Gordonson said:

... Thanks for pointing out Holdren's comment. That's the same guy that thought we needed a global regime to force women to have abortions and sterilize the population through the water supply. The fact that Obama chose such a boneheaded totalitarian to advise him on "science" is very revealing. Ice has been breaking off since there has been ice. (see titanic). People who try to claim this proves global warming or global cooling is a threat are simply nutty ideologues who probably have invested in the cap-and-tax scam. But it's good to see that the cult is no longer taken serious anymore

August 08, 2010

Lee Gonzales said:

"Unglued" warmists is apropos The "warmists" attack the author for not being scientific enough and for not using enough "data." These are signs of the ungluing effects of a simple article aimed at a non scientific online journal. The "data" is that Obama's present chief science advisor was a "global cooling" advocate/ alarmist back in the days when the trend was to scare folks into believing that we were headed toward another ice age. JJ surprise has dubbed the trendies "Chicken Littles" but "Chicken Little" was an uneduated farm critter whereas people like John Holdren and the data destroyers at East Anglia are highly educated. This leads one to wonder if these people are deliberately fudging the data toward a global warming scenario lured by the grant money or something else. Whatever,the motivation, they are NOT an independent-thinking bunch. The people or person that hacked into the East Anglia (Climate Research Unit)computer files proves that some "scientists" care more about personal gain than they do about facts. http://www.thenewamerican.com/...n-15-years

August 08, 2010

Flu-Bird said:

Green hystaria Just wait for the wackos from GREENPEACE and the other various eco-freak groups to start sounding off blaming our backyard BBQs and demanding SUVs be banned and the malarkey from the lie a day news media as well

August 08, 2010

Lee Gonzales said:

"temperate" Greenland Jay Phillips quote: "850,000 years ago [f]lorida was underwater. along with 250 vertical feet of all coastlines in the world. [a]nd the population of modern humans was 0. I would think we might want to try and avoid a repeat of that situation." Mr. Phillips, what in the name of creation caused that to happen when the population of "modern humans was o?" Did the cavemen inundate Florida in 250 feet of water by inventing camp fires? Jay Phillips quote: "Greenland was farcically named by vikings trying to lure settlers to what was in the year 1000 a giant ice covered island." Eric "the Red" established a settlement in Greenland. Archaelogists have discovered evidence of a farming community in Greenland. Whether Irickson was a sharp marketing genuis by "luring" farmers to a "temperate" and balmy farm-ready land is irrelevant. It has been proven over and over that that part of North America was indeed settled by the "Vikings" during a time in the earth's period when Greenland was farming-friendly. This source calls Greenland a "temperate" land where the Norse could "graze" their cattle and pigs. land:http://wwc.demillo.com/2009/12/28/the-saga-of-eric-the-red-and-the-anthropology-of-innovation-a-parable/

August 08, 2010

Fred said:

... Here is an excellent video on this..... http://www.newslook.com/videos/237726-huge-ice-island-breaks-off-from-greenland

August 08, 2010

SomeGuy said:

... You sure this has nothing to do with this? The first six months of 2010 have been the hottest on record globally, scientists have said. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10900235

August 08, 2010

Dewey said:

... The article says: "Just remember, Greenland didn't get its name by being covered with ice as it is today. And as SPPI noted, “the Greenland ice sheet was entirely absent 850,000 years ago...." Are you trying to tell us that the name Greenland was assigned 850,000 years ago? I don't think so, but when was it and what was life like in Greenland at that time? You should do better than this.

August 08, 2010

fiat justitia ruat caelum, Lowly rated comment [Show]

Shawn said:

Biblical clarification... Way to hijack the Bible. Isaiah had alot more to say in that chapter... Lets just say no ammount of legislation or environmental trending humans try to do will rectify the situation... If as you say the condition of the earth we are seeing is what the prophet was talking of.

August 09, 2010

Flu-Bird said:

Eco-wackos and the bible One bibical passage reads GOD WITH DESTROY THEM WHO DESTROY THE EARTH but knowing the eco-freaks they will replace GOD with GAIA and especialy if you listen to that nut JAMES LOVELOCK and his idiotic GAIA hypothsis

August 09, 2010

R Jensen said:

... "...make sure to confuse the issue by putting cooling, warming and change all in one sentence without qualification. Oh yes - don't forget to mention Chicken Little..." ...and polar bears stranded on drifting ice sheets? Keep sounding your chorus. But it doesn't change the fact that your government-funded "global warming" theories are pure lunacy, and no more believable than George Bush's theories about "weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq.

August 09, 2010

JJ Suprise said:

Reply to Patrick Dear Patrick, It is not I who is using those terms to confuse the issue! As far as Chicken Little is concerned, I was referring to that stupid little bird who thought the sky was falling because an apple fell on his head when he was sitting under a tree. Kind of similar to people on your side of this nonsense issue. I did not come up with to so called "global cooling" that was supposed to kill us all back in the 70's (see Holdren). After the "cooling" didn't happen they had to go the other direction with their alarmism, once again, see Holdren. And then lo and behold when the SUN refused to cooperate with the "warming" they had to change the term to the all encompassing term "climate change"! You see, with climate change, the Gorbots can't lose! No matter what happens now it is CLIMATE CHANGE and it is our fault!! If it is cold, ha, it is climate change. If it is warm, ha, it is climate change and it is our fault and the SUN has NOTHING to do with it, right? Well guess what pal, THE CLIMATE CHANGES! Always has and always will and we horrible humans have absolutely NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! Oh and by the way, pollution has NOTHING to do with it. That is a completely different issue that hacks like you love to try to throw into the mix when the SUN doesn't conclude with your data! So, with that, I conclude today's lesson for you sir.

August 09, 2010 | url

Lee Gonzales said:

Chicken Little's brigades This children's story was designed to be used as a teaching lesson for children. "Chicken Little" was a very emotional and scared farm critter that would jump to conclusions and get very excited at the smallest things. He wasn't beyond inventing things that weren't so just to stir up the other farm animals. Some eco-trendies are as the young, impressionable Chicken Little; they get themselves all worked up over a chunk of land ice. Some species of humanus plumas resort to statements as this: ".. when thousands of people are dying from the effects of climate change." They try to sound caring and concerned for human life. But their schizophrenia begins to chatter like ice cubes in a near empty glass the moment they start with their pet theories of "over-population." They gladly embrace death in the manner that their heroes like J. Costeau embraced it all the while making money from oil companies to keep his Calypso afloat. Jacques Costeau: "World population must be stabilized and to do that we must eliminate 350,000 people per day... But the general situation in which we are involved is lamentable.” http://www.dennisbehreandt.com/en/blog/379-the-dark-side-of-jacques-cousteau

August 09, 2010

Red Pill Please said:

AGW is a full-blown Religion in Itself - Not Science! From Patrick Lockerby And for the many creationists out there who deny the effects of puny humans on a big planet, argue this statement which was made a few thousand years ago: "The Earth lies polluted under its inhabitants;" Isiah 24:5 The entire verse (left out by Patrick) from the original KJV: The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Both terms, pollute & and defiled come from the original Hebrew; chaneph, meaning morally corrupt, with nothing pertaining to a physical condition of the Earth. Perhaps our friend should read the entire book of Isaiah (the St. Paul of the Old Testament) and learn that it is a book concerning sin, judgement and a message of hope set in a spiritual context, a miniature Bible in and of itself. Isaiah 44:24-25 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

August 09, 2010

Richard Robinson said:

Unglued Wow. The environmentalists must watch The New American like hawks because they have posted in here like crazy. Just like when logic fails, scream 'racism', the same logic applies here where they cry 'use facts'. Facts were used in the first 2 paragraphs.

August 09, 2010

A.L. Daniels said:

Warmists Full of It I suspect a lot of the warmists here are actually just paid propaganda stooges... Think about it, how many people do you know that actually believe this "catastrophic global warming climate change caused by the substance you exhale" dribble?? The gospel of gore is laughed out of the room any time a member of the cult brings it up... Everybody knows this is lies, even the people spreading the propaganda Nice job keeping up appearances though, warmists. Come November hopefully we can fire enough congressliars and dry up the supply of stolen loot to the warmists (and maybe imprison some of the criminal ones)... see how many comments from the wackos appear then... The truth will come out and become totally obvious (to those that it isn't obvious to yet), and hopefully humanity will learn a lesson about allowing government to fund science, and about trusting politicians.

August 09, 2010

Why the denailist comments are taking a beating, Lowly rated comment [Show]

rprew said:

Huh...??? The sad thing being dentists have flooded the Internet with so much garbage it's actually difficult to find the actual conditions in Russia during the time. Dentists are flooding the internet with garbage? WOW! Now that's news to me! you'd [sic] get less attention if you took care to delete silly old articles that disprove your lack of understanding. I may not be an English scholar, but I believe that is the same as saying "prove your understanding". TNA is trying to get the public attention and would be in error to delete old articles that prove their point.

August 09, 2010

Richard Robinson said:

California Coolest in Years http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_15723011

August 10, 2010

Dave said:

Credibility........wala! Reading all these comments, attacks, etc,just points out the absolute lack of evidence or credibility to the Global Warming Lunatics. As the Bisayans here where I live now would say..."wala" or nothing. My friends in the states complained this winter and last about how cold and snowy it was, now they complain about how hot and wet it is this summer. Why must we insist upon claiming a pattern when there is non. The only pattern we see in climate is a LACK of pattern. Our friends in the media report almost daily on the latest doom and global warming gloom that some obscure professor spout off about. This iceburg is yet another example. It broke off, it's big...who knows why, and who should really give a crap about it. Another random event on earth that so called scientists all give their pet explanation in support of their personal views about. True science studies repeatable events, looks for a reason for what takes place in our world. All we seem to see now is a glut of speculation and opinion from the scientific world. And we the little people are supposed to take it all seriously.What a joke!

August 10, 2010

Lee Gonzales said:

What's wrong with a warmer climate? Cold weather is more deadly than warm weather. Try it sometimes by climbing a mountain like the Matterhorn in the winter time. Icon the o'-clasm gives us this gem of wisdom: "Russia is on fire. A Russian official mentioned it hasn't been this hot in Russia in 1000 years." Who was that Russian? And was he standing right next to the forest fires when he said that? Your syntax Icon o'clasm leaves a lot to be desired.Perhaps you should have said it this way: "Global warming deniers use facts and are very difficult to trip up since they have a good grasp of history. They understand such events as the "Medieval warming period." This was a period in earth's history when the great cathedrals were being built as a result of the riches brought about by greater crop yields. And more crops were the direct result of a warming of the planet." You could have eleborated further this way: " A big glacier spreading across your farm is not a good sign that you are going to have money in the bank to tide you over during the winter months. The "warming" encouraged farmers to plant more crops. More crops due to the milder and longer planting season was a good thing not a bad thing Icon O'clasm. This abundance in the rural areas made its way into the cities. People with money generally spread it around." The earth was balmier during the time when the Knights in shinning armor jousted in tournaments and damsals wore their long flowing gowns and drank the wine from the grapes harvested in vinyards in foggy Old London.

August 11, 2010

Michael said:

... The author is incorrect on Greenland. The Norseman/Vikings used modern deceit methods to induce settlement there. To spur folks away from the other island they in turned named it Iceland. So, the author should do her homework and do corrections!

August 21, 2010