I had the "Today Show" on Friday morning while I was waiting to do a radio interview with WOOD-AM about my winter forecast and I heard Matt Lauer say, "Next we'll take a trip to the Arctic, where the ice is melting fast". What followed some commercials was a story that said: "...the Arctic, where the climate is changing rapidly and not for the better." The trouble with the above statements is that they're not true. You can check the extent of Arctic ice at the University of Illinois Cryosphere website: http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/ You'll find that the Arctic icecap reached a record (and we only have a 29-year record) low in 2007. The icecap has been growing at a fairly rapid rate since, gaining 7% in just the last year to bring it back to 2002 levels. Alaska is having one of their coldest years ever, and the ice is not "melting fast" it's actually growing fast. Also, the Antarctic icecap reached a record maximum in 2007. The TV story also showed a graph of the loss of Arctic ice from 2005 to 2007. Obviously, the story they wanted to tell was that the ice is "melting rapidly" If they had included 2008, or done a graph from 2002 to 2008, or from 1989 to 2008, it would not have had the same dramatic effect as the graph that was shown. (picture courtesy of the University of Illinois Cryosphere Today)
Eau Claire Realty, Inc. - Eau Claire, WI
Eau Claire Wisconsin, Real Estate Agent & Realtor- Buy or Sell
I am not really sure what you mean when you refer to the "media" as if its only one source. There have been many stories that came out this year that have shown that the ice is in fact growing back at a record pace. There have also been stories that show in other parts ice is melting at an incredible pace. So the media is doing their job and reporting information as it becomes available.
Dec 10, 2008 02:23 AM
Keller Williams Legacy - Orlando, FL
TRC, CIPS, 407-616-7286, Orlando Real Estate, Orla
If anyone out there thinks that the industrialization of the globe is not having some sort of impact on the planet, then they must be living under a rock.. We can safely assume that man is having an adverse impact on our climate be it cooling or heating the planet.
Dec 10, 2008 02:35 AM
excell realty inc - Grand Rapids, MI
So where does the fact that we have been warming since the ICE AGE come in to play? An impact? Yes. Good or bad? I guess its a good thing were and inteligent race for we have noticed the impact.
I'm just saying that there is alot of misunderstood statements out there that make us believe we are doing more harm than we are. What ever happen to the hole in the ozone and why is that not still a hot topic? In the 80's and 90's it was...
Dec 10, 2008 02:44 AM
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