Hi, all
O Chylek in colaboration with other researchers published "Global warming and the Greenland ice sheet" in 2004 - general conclusion - Since 1940 general data have shown a predominantly cooling trend. The Greenland ice sheet and coastal regions ARE NOT following the current global warming trend.
D. M. Ethridge in collaboration with other researchers published, in 1996, a series of analyses of the C02 content of Antarctic ice cores for the last 1,000 years - the changes are minimal and regular.
From giss.noso.gov a chart shows that from 1940 the mean temperature has fallen by 0.15ºc while CO2 content of the air has risen by 2%
Many researchers over the past decade have tried to even out temperature anomolies created by the huge amounts of concrete that create small but significant heating effects of their own on a very localised level.
From 1888 to 2004 the weather station at Punta Arenas, the closest to Antarctica, has shown temperature variations of up to 5ºc but the over all trend has been downwards.
In the Journal of Climate 13: 1674-96 - figures published by J C Comiso show that both satellite and ground stations show slight cooling over the last 20 years.
In Science 295: 476-80 the conclusion was published by Loughin and Tulacyck in 2002 that Side looking radar measurements show West Antarctic ice is increasing by 26.8 gigatons per year. This reverses the melting trend of the last 8,000 years.
In the same year Thompson and Solomon published in Science 296: 895-99 that the Antarctic peninsula has warmed several degrees while the interior has cooled somewhat. Ice shelves have retreated but there has been a significant increase in sea ice.
A whole raft of researchers came together in Nature 399: 429-36 to publish that During the last four Interglacials, going back 420,000 years, the Earth was warmer than it is today.
In the International Journal of Remote Sensing 24:2277-87 it was concluded that the trend towards more sea ice was accelerating.
In Annals of Glaciology 34:435-40 Parkinson showed that in 2002 the greater part of Antarctica experienced almost 22 days of sea ice more than in 1979.
There is a lot more evidence out there about the reality or not of global warming but if you check the references I have given you will find acres of learned research and factual reports..
One of the most significant aspects of the campaign being waged at the moment is the blame of CO2 as the primary cause. The level of CO2 in the atmosphere is insignificant and has been much higher in the past.
The simple fact is that the Earth has a cyclical climate governed by more aspects than we know of. Even 150 years ago places like Italy were absolutely insufferable in the summer because of the very high temperatures. The UK had distinct seasons. The continental effect in Europe was much more apparent than it is today.
What we need to be doing is concentrating on the way we are despoiling this Earth.
Building roads with no regard to wildlife or drainage.
Creating consumer goods designed to be thrown away.
Inventing indestructable materials for use in the mass market - packing materials and disposable nappies being the most obvious. (Actually, disposable nappies are not disposable. If you burn them you create noxious gasses and if you bury them they just lie there for ever.)
Expanding our cities into green belts when there are possibilities of exploiting areas already available within them.
Creating an acquisitive society that cares nothing for its neighbours.
We need to grow up.
The Old Coot.