Article from the BBC:

“These two papers clearly illustrate, for the first time, the relationship between ice shelf collapses caused by climate warming, and accelerated glacier flow,” said Dr Rignot.

The extra ice presumably translates into higher sea level. But how much this is raising the level of the oceans isn’t known.

The authors of the published papers point out that in other places around the continent, much larger glaciers are also held in check by ice shelves.

To quote a rapper from my hometown, “Its getting hot in here”

I remember watching the ice shelf referenced in this article calve into the ocean on CNN and it made me worry that global warming was actually happening. After watching this about a year ago it made me realize that the levels of CO2 in our atmosphere are relatively off the charts. Off the charts in the sense that there is no historical record CO2 levels this high. The way CO2 is measured in Antarctica is by drilling deep into the snow and collecting samples. When the snow fell and was compacted by snow falling on top of it, small air bubbles were trapped in the snow. These air bubbles contain a microscopic reflection of the atmosphere at that period in history. So right now there is more CO2 than ever and the earth is heating up. So where is the good news? There really isn’t any.

The conversation I had last week with Professor Foggin was about this same issue. Being that he is middle-aged and nearly retired, he made a point to explain his concern about the future. I can tell he was worried about his grandchildren and what kind of earth they are going to inherit. Hell, I am worried about what kind of world my children are going to inherit, but I am glad that I have some education in the earth sciences because it makes me feel empowered that I have the know-how to change things. Well maybe not change things entirely, but have the ability to show others ways they can combat & adapt to our changing world. And the wind of change is beginning to blow stronger.

There is a difference between global warming and climate change that is not quite understood by most people I’ve talked with. Climate change is what we will begin to experience as our earth continues to warm due to the influx of CO2. One of my professors who studied the atmospheric sciences explained climate change as an increase in the variability of the weather patterns. Essentially meaning that there will be more randomness in the weather and what was considered normal weather will be a distant memory. I personally think that the numerous hurricanes that have taken place in the last month are a sign of things to come. I expect to see the sea levels rise and the treasures of Venice, Amsterdam, and even most of Bangladesh go under water during my lifetime. I expect to see the locusts in West Africa begin to plague other parts of the world in my lifetime. And sadly, I expect to see others turn their head until its too late.

The only glimmer of hope I can postulate is global cooling. It would only take a few massive volcanic eruptions to put enough soot into the atmosphere that the earth will begin to cool. Its possible. Its also possible to recycle more and plant trees.

As for this rendering, its a new modification on the old template. Instead of making the background completely neutral (black or white), I added 2D randomized image of the inner satellite image. I think it looks beautiful! I also removed the glass sphere and made the satellite image of the Himalayas wrapped around the sphere. The next rendering will have the background be a 3D image to add depth. I look forward to seeing it when its finished!