Guest Blogger: Clem Samuels - Boomer - Minneapolis, MN
Every disaster movie starts with a government ignoring a scientist.
Life does indeed imitate art.
When we feel threatened, when it seems as if our institutions, our freedoms, our way of life are under attack, the threat is all that matters. This Pandemic and 9/11 are most recent examples.
The threat is so pervasive and real, it dominates our news. It seems very little else matters. Whether you get your news electronically, by radio, tv, magazine ,or newspaper the threat is topic 1, and 2, and 3, and 4, and 5 and... you get the idea.
All the experts are saying, in regard to COVID-19, hang in there, be smart, do what you can to fight this problem, be patient, this will come to pass. You never hear that in regard to climate change.
Because of what is going on now, and the coverage, people may have missed some significant developments last week in regard to climate change.
First of all, parts of the Southern Plains, Deep South, and Gulf Coast experienced never before seen March temperature. Average temperatures were exceeded by 10 to 25 degrees. Jacksonville, Atlanta, Raleigh, Cape Hatteras, Montgomery, New Orleans, Austin, and many other locals, all set high temperature records. It even reached 100 degrees in a part of Oklahoma. Already the warmest year on record is getting warmer.
The second item concerns the results of a study released last week, done by U of Calif, Irvine and NASA's JPL. The study concluded that ice melt in eastern Antarctica is happening faster than was previously thought. Earlier satellite studies indicated that the Eastern Antarctic ice shelf, and specifically the Denman Glacier would, because of ridges under the ice, melt significantly less fast than ice in the west.
Using the updated and newer COSMO-Skymed satellite images, it was discovered that although the eastern part of the glacier is ridge protected, "the west has a deep steep trough with a slope conducive to accelerated retreat," said Virginia Brancato of NASA-JPL. She went on to say, that because of shape of the ground beneath Denman's western side, we will see a rapid and irreversible retreat that may substantially increase global sea levels."*
Increase sea levels by how much? The Denman Glacier happens to sit upon the deepest land canyon on earth. The canyon, at 11,500 feet 2.5 times deeper than the Grand Canyon. When the Denman Glacier and all that ice in the canyon melt, the water will raise sea levels 5 plus feet.
COVID-19 and global warming.Two disasters. Both the result of government ignoring sciences. So, drown in mucus now, or seawater later.
Lastly, President Trump has floated an idea on how to decrease temperature in the U. S. His idea.... move to Celsius.
