Monday, March 23, 2015

Choose Your Trances Carefully - 4

How big is a cube 500 kilometres on each side?

It is about the same as a cube 311 miles on each side.

It would reach past the International Space Station orbit (258 miles) by 53 miles.

So what is that big?

The cube of ice melting each year from Greenland & Antarctica ice sheets is going to be that big, but is already causing the sea level around us to rise.

It is the number one danger to national security, according to the President and the Pentagon (What Do You Mean - World Civilization? - 2).

Sea Rising3
So, why don't we hear as much about the annual ice cube melt into the oceans?

Is McTell News irrelevant to the real world, and only interested in the world that the Plutocracy, the Corporatist 1%, yes, that Oil-Qaeda wants us to know about?

That is the way The Father of Spin put it (The Ways of Bernays).

The "free press" morphed into presstitutes long ago, and they now walk the streets peddling the wares of the Epigovernment, instead of the government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

"Houston, we have a problem."
"How quaint" and "let them eat cake" won't last long.

The deniers are only experiencing the "freedom" a puppy thinks it has as it runs full speed away from its handler.

So happy to be "free" --until the end of the leash looms large.

An abrupt change is inevitable when the ice is melting at such an unprecedented rate, and especially so when that melt is accelerating (Will This Float Your Boat - 7).

Take that ice cube to your next Senate snowball B.S. session Senator Inhofe (Inhofe's One Man Troofiness Crusade).

The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.

We are the Asteroid ...


7 comments:

  1. I'm surprised that YOU made THAT error. Five-hundred cubic kilometers is contained in a cube roughly 7.94 km along each edge. A cube that is 500 km on each edge would contain 125,000,000 cubic kilometers. I understand that exaggeration is sometimes warranted but this may be a bit much. Also, in the first question to the left of the second image I think the word "hear" may be more appropriate. Please, feel free to remove this comment at your discretion.

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    1. colinc,

      Now that the astronauts have cleaned their diapers, and evidently emailed you about their relief, let's talk.

      The point is that 500 cu. km. of ice melt will lead to about a three foot (a.k.a. ~1 meter) sea level rise "when?"

      Got km?

      Delete
  2. The question was: "How big is a cube 500 kilometres on each side?"

    "A cube that is 500 km on each edge would contain 125,000,000 cubic kilometers."

    Good answer.

    Thanks for relaxing the astronauts.

    I got calls from the Onion offering me a job.

    "Not gonna do it, wouldn't be prudent."

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  3. From the article, above, with my own emphasis....

    "So what is that big?

    The cube of ice melting each year from Greenland & Antarctica ice sheets is going to be that big, but is already causing the sea level around us to rise.
    "

    According to this, this and this, there will have to be a considerable increase before the melted cube "is going to be that big." I'm only trying to be helpful but carry on as you will.

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    Replies
    1. colinc,

      You have nailed the gravamen of the issue like Randy did "The point is that 500 cu. km. of ice melt will lead to about a three foot (a.k.a. ~1 meter) sea level rise "when?"

      It is not unlike wondering when a terrorist will destroy something.

      Using mathematical models, constructed out of software, to project future events of this type is difficult.

      That is why affects of AGW have consistently been underestimated by every IPCC report preceding the most recent one, the 5th (which I and various scientists think is another underestimate).

      What is targeted as the flaw in the models, leading to consistent underestimation, is the expected rate of acceleration.

      As I have pointed out, in the links provided in the post, is that the acceleration taking place doubled the ice melt, from 250 cu. km. in 2009, to 500 cu. km. at the end of 2013 (five years).

      The models I have written, using that 250-500 cu. km. rate, show much more of an increase, so I have wondered if it is a surge, rather than a built in permanent acceleration rate.

      So the model I have written, and am trying to improve, currently uses the 14.87% as a surge factor.

      Projections out 185 years show why officials consider SLR and other affects to be the number one threat to national security (What Do You Mean - World Civilization? - 2).

      I welcome all mathematical software concepts for improving the projections of ice melt into the future.

      I am working on a post that deals specifically with the notion of "delay" or "lag" in time, from the instance of greenhouse gas injection into the atmosphere, until it causes a warming response, then a further hypothesized "lag" before the damage is done.

      Gotta run and have my first cup of coffee.

      Thanks again for helping!

      Delete
  4. New viruses discovered in deep ocean methane seeps

    http://www.sott.net/article/294207-New-viruses-discovered-in-deep-ocean-methane-seeps

    [quote]

    "Strange creatures live in the deep sea, but few are odder than the viruses that inhabit deep ocean methane seeps and prey on single-celled microorganisms called archaea."

    "Hey! Welcome new little virus . ". .. thunk

    Tom

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  5. The cartoons in this post are known as "exaggerations for effect," and are obvious --once an astute commenter, like colinc is, points out the difference.

    I commend these types of comments because it shows critical thinking, something that is, IMO, getting more and more valuable in our society.

    These exaggerated cartoons in today's post do not deny the facts, but serve to grab attention.

    They do allude to the fact that ice melt, and other results of global warming induced climate change, is quite visible from the International Space Station some 218 miles out in space.

    Nor do those exaggerated cartoons deny the reality that the President and Pentagon see climate change as the number one security threat to the nation.

    Blogs and bloggers should be thankful for commenters like Tom, Randy, and colinc for having sharp observation skills.

    The metaphor or exaggeration "Humanity is the asteroid" is something critical thinkers can also comprehend.

    ReplyDelete