Very Cool Moulin Footage From Greenland - Jason Box Estimates 1,000 CuSecs At Single Site

[hatrack]

EDIT

The team found that in just one day 42 million litres fresh water drained down this one Moulin. Dr Box thinks there are hundreds, possibly thousands more Moulins across the Greenland ice cap.

Greenland is losing enough water each year to cover Germany a metre deep.

Dr Box, from Ohio State University, thinks the way to combat melting glaciers is to cover them with blankets that will reflect the sun’s rays.

Dr Box said: “We’re in the midst of a climate catastrophe and glaciers are the epicentre of that problem.

EDIT

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/4734859/Scientists-capture-dramatic-footage-of--Arctic-glaciers-melting-in-hours.html

[patrice]

1. So what's the name of that big loop in the ocean currents up there?

... the one of which something such as this is said, "if it is altered or ended the oceans will die"?

[Greyskye]

3. The Ocean Conveyor?

Otherwise known as thermohaline circulation? I think this is what you're referring to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutdown_of_thermohaline_circulation

[patrice]

4. Looks like they're still debating what changes in thermohaline circulation could do, but

at minimum, it looks like a warmer Europe.

[AlecBGreen]

5. colder europe

spain & maine are at the same latitude. warm water from the gulf of mexico keeps europe warmer than it "should be" (based on its latitude)

edit - me no spel so gud

[Greyskye]

6. From the above wiki link:

Shutdown or slowdown of the thermohaline circulation is a postulated effect of global warming.

There is some speculation that global warming could, via a shutdown or slowdown of the thermohaline circulation, trigger localized cooling in the North Atlantic and lead to cooling, or lesser warming, in that region. This would affect in particular areas like Iceland, Ireland, the Nordic countries, and Britain that are warmed by the North Atlantic drift. The chances of this occurring are unclear; there is some evidence for the stability of the Gulf Stream but a possible weakening of the North Atlantic drift; and there is evidence of warming in northern Europe and nearby seas, rather than the reverse. The future is undecided as studies of the Florida Current suggest that the Gulf Stream weakens with cooling and strengthens with warming, being weakest (by ~10%) during the Little Ice Age and strongest during 1,000-1,100 yr BP, the Medieval Warm Period (Lund, Lynch-Stieglitz,and Curry, Nature (2006) 444: 601-604).

[Greyskye]

2. Amazing video - scary scary stuff.

[XemaSab]

7. EPIC!

:bounce:

Oh, and I think the blanket idea is stupid. Firstly, where are you going to get two million square kilometers of fabric from, secondly, how are you going to get it up there and deploy it? It seems like the energy put towards such a project would be better used to build clean energy sources instead of furling the sails of a sinking ship.

FInally, wouldn't that interfere with recruitment in an unpredictable manner? It'd be a pisser if you got the thing put together only to realize that not only was all the new snow melting on top of the thing, but the melt pools above the blanket were exacerbating melting underneath the blanket. :P

[thecrow]

8. Can a way to catch this water be devised? n/t

[NickB79]

9. No

One of these moulins is sending 42 MILLION liters of water to the ocean per day, and there are thousands of these scattered throughout Greenland. The scale of ice loss just boggles the mind.