Weekend Rebel Science Excursion - 53

Fig. 1 Force Majeure

I. Background

Yesterday, we 'talked' about 1.14% of the total quantity of the world's land-ice melting and/or flowing into the sea (Extinction: Sydney, Shanghai, Rio, NYC, Mumbai, London, & Durban).

It was pointed out in that post how easy it is to accurately calculate that tiny percentage of 1.14%.

That 'tiny' event which would cause a 1 meter / 3.28 foot global mean average sea level rise (SLR), means that the 'tiny' in this odd predicament is the 500 lb. gorilla in the room.

The conclusion was that only 1.14% of the ice sheets and glaciers of the world could marshal enough power to cripple, or worse, current civilization.

It is somewhat like talking about the 1% and the 99% of the infamous "1%-have-lots / 99% have-nots" divide.

The 1% powers-that-be (PTB) have led the way to inducing the anthropogenic global warming induced disintegration of the world's ice sheets, a tiny 1.14% of which will cause them more harm than they have imagined (The 1% May Face The Wrath of Sea Level Rise First).

And, this time their vassals will be unavailing (Why The Military Can't Defend Against The Invasion).

II. NEGIS & Totten Join The Invasion Forces

Some of the Greenland ice streams are in the news this week, for example Zachariæ

Fig. 2 USGS (click to enlarge)

Isstrøm.

Before discussing the news about Zachariæ, let's look at the larger picture that is taking shape, because Zachariæ is a terminating glacier (Greenland Terminating Glaciers, PDF).

In that regard, Fig. 1 shows the main Greenland ice stream, the North East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS), which Zachariæ is attached to at its terminus.

The whole she-bang is quite impressive:

The Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) drains about 16% of all the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) as depicted at Fig. 1.

The Jakobshavn Ice Stream (JI) drains about half of the NEGIS quantity (Northeast Greenland Ice Loss Accelerating).

In the Dredd Blog System, which includes Ecocosmology Blog, there have been several posts concerning the impact of Greenland on the Northeast U.S. from Cape Cod, MA south to Cape Hatteras, NC (e.g.The Question Is: How Much Acceleration Is Involved In SLR - 5?).

The gist of the subject matter is that catastrophic sea level rise (SLR) is much, much closer, in time and in geography, than is being reported in mainstream media.

(Greenland & Antarctica Empires Invade The United States Empire). That puts this week's scientific paper (Fast retreat of Zachariæ Isstrøm) in perspective, and in its place historically, as part of an ongoing saga (Unrecognized Rapid Ice Loss in Northeast Greenland, Sustained Ice Mass Loss, both 2014).

NEGIS is also one of two major players in the invading ice stream army:

If a certain percentage of one glacier (the Totten Glacier) in East Antarctica melts, or otherwise slides into the sea, the same will happen:

How little it will take can also easily be seen by a statement from a scientist who is studying those locations closely and regularly:

"One of them, Totten glacier, holds the equivalent of seven metres of global sea level."

(Dr. Rignot East Antarctica glaciers, cf. Totten Glacier Melting). The percentage of that one glacier which needs to melt to cause 3 ft. / 1 m. of SLR is: 1÷7 = 0.142857143 = 14.3%.

(Why Sea Level Rise May Be The Greatest Threat To Civilization). That is a slim margin, because the Totten Glacier is showing signs of decomposition (Nature).

(ibid). Totten in E. Antarctica, together with NEGIS in N.E. Greenland, are being melted by the fossil-fuel-burning induced global warming of the atmosphere, and just as importantly, they are being melted by the fossil-fuel-burning induced global warming of the oceans.

III. Fifth Grade Arithmetic Was Never So Scary

I say that because, the NEGIS is about 700 km. in length, with Zachariae Isstrom only

Fig. 3 See Fig. 1 for larger perspective (Credit).

playing a minor role.

I mean that in the sense that Zachariae Isstrom is only one of the terminating glaciers of the NEGIS (NEGIS Sustained Mass Loss).

By itself the NEGIS contains ~16% of Greenland's entire ice mass, which coincidently equates to the catastrophic SLR we have been considering.

That is calculated from Fig. 2 which shows Greenland as having a total global mean average SLR potential of 21.49 feet, with NEGIS comprising 16% of that potential, thus, 21.49 x 16% = 3.44 feet.

Fifth grade arithmetic tells us that 1.14% of all land based ice sheets and glaciers need to melt to reach the beginning of catastrophic SLR: 1 meter / 3 feet.

A bit more of the fifth grade arithmetic tells us that only two (Totten and NEGIS) of the many other available ice streams (e.g. Thwaites @ W. Antarctica or Jakobshavn @ W. Greenland) can very easily do that.

IV. So, Why All Of The 

"Move Along To The Year 2525 Folks, Nothing To See Here?"

It is a tale of two mothers.

We looked at that issue, yesterday, and concluded that it is because Mother Civilization plainly does not want us to know what she is doing to Mother Nature (Extinction: Sydney, Shanghai, Rio, NYC, Mumbai, London, & Durban).

"These things are only a nuisance" she sings, while flashing her Betty Davis eyes.

But we know better, yes, we know that it is Mother Civilization's abusive gang-banger lover who plans to have us "taken care of" in an unprecedented and unpleasant way (The Harm Oil-Qaeda Has Done).

V. Conclusion

"In other words, a society does not ever die 'from natural causes', but always dies from suicide or murder --- and nearly always from the former, as this chapter has shown." - A Study of History,  by Arnold J. Toynbee 

"I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path. ... This is no magnificent deed, because I do not want followers, and I mean this. The moment you follow someone you cease to follow Truth. I am not concerned whether you pay attention to what I say or not. I want to do a certain thing in the world and I am going to do it with unwavering concentration. I am concerning myself with only one essential thing: to set man free. I desire to free him from all cages, from all fears, and not to found religions, new sects, nor to establish new theories and new philosophies.
...
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti

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