Study: Global Warming is Causing Iceland to Rise Faster

Here's a short video where it discusses a study done by a University of Arizona scientist where the scientist says that Iceland is rising due to Glacier and Ice Sheet melt. Something we already know but I think this is still worth the discussion here on ATS.

According to a new study by a University of Arizona scientist, sea levels are rising, and so is the Scandinavian island of Iceland. A study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters found that an acceleration in sea level rise from glacier and ice sheet melt has sped up the rate at which Iceland has risen out of the ocean. According to the study, such an uplift could cause more volcanic eruptions. “There have been a lot of studies that have shown that the uplift in Iceland is primarily due to ice loss,” said lead author Kathleen Compton, an Arizona PhD student, adding that her study was the first to show accelerated sea level rise influences the land.

This whole oceans rising thing is still a little confusing to me. It does flood more nowadays whenever there's a storm because there's more water, however, beaches are staying the same; at least I haven't heard of any beaches disappearing. I made a guess before that the global water inundation isn't uniform and I think I'm right however how can that be? What says ATS?

screen.yahoo.com...

earth-policy.org

Tuvalu is going away... :/

The leaders of Tuvalu—a tiny island country in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia—have conceded defeat in their battle with the rising sea, announcing that they will abandon their homeland. After being rebuffed by Australia, the Tuvaluans asked New Zealand to accept its 11,000 citizens, but it has not agreed to do so.

During the twentieth century, sea level rose by 20-30 centimeters (8-12 inches). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects a rise of up to 1 meter during this century.

...

As sea level has risen, Tuvalu has experienced lowland flooding. Saltwater intrusion is adversely affecting its drinking water and food production. Coastal erosion is eating away at the nine islands that make up the country.

So I think the oceans are rising...

originally posted by: Elton
earth-policy.org

Tuvalu is going away... :/

The leaders of Tuvalu—a tiny island country in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia—have conceded defeat in their battle with the rising sea, announcing that they will abandon their homeland. After being rebuffed by Australia, the Tuvaluans asked New Zealand to accept its 11,000 citizens, but it has not agreed to do so.

During the twentieth century, sea level rose by 20-30 centimeters (8-12 inches). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects a rise of up to 1 meter during this century.

As sea level has risen, Tuvalu has experienced lowland flooding. Saltwater intrusion is adversely affecting its drinking water and food production. Coastal erosion is eating away at the nine islands that make up the country.

So I think the oceans are rising...

Oh, the Oceans are most definitely rising, but besides coastal flooding during big storms I am not seeing any change in sea level(s). That must mean that the rise isn't uniform. How can that be?

a reply to: lostbook

This is the same phenomenon as what's called Post Glacial Rebound.

Basically when you remove a lot of weight sitting on top of a land mass, you allow that land mass to rise. So even though the former ice is now water going into the seas and raising sea levels, the land mass is also rising, thus slightly deflating (at least relative to its own coastline) the actual sea level rise.

I remember a few years ago this was another fake climate denier scandal, because some sea level figures were adjusted (minorly) to account for Post Glacial Rebound, and of course the deniers started screaming how all the data is being manipulated and faked to scare you and all that.


The fact that you notice more flooding during storms is a pretty good indicator. Actual sea level rise is a very slow process - just a few millimeters per year, so it falls into the "boiling frog" category.

But during storm surges you can really start to see how much this few mm/year can suddenly bunch up and make a big difference.

originally posted by: lostbook
Oh, the Oceans are most definitely rising, but besides coastal flooding during big storms I am not seeing any change in sea level(s). That must mean that the rise isn't uniform. How can that be?

Sea level rise is indeed not uniform. Some places are much worse than others, and some it's actually even dropped a bit -



(at least since 1993 that is) Source for map


There are several reasons for this I believe - variable ocean temperatures, tidal and gravitational forces, etc. The Earth's a big place.

Thanks all. This Global warming thing has a lot more angles to it than I am aware of. Floating landmass(es)? Does this mean that all landmasses will float on the rising oceans? Does this also explain why beaches aren't receding into the ocean.....because landmass(es) are rising as the ocean rises?

originally posted by: mc_squared
a reply to: lostbook

This is the same phenomenon as what's called Post Glacial Rebound.

Basically when you remove a lot of weight sitting on top of a land mass, you allow that land mass to rise. So even though the former ice is now water going into the seas and raising sea levels, the land mass is also rising, thus slightly deflating (at least relative to its own coastline) the actual sea level rise.

I remember a few years ago this was another fake climate denier scandal, because some sea level figures were adjusted (minorly) to account for Post Glacial Rebound, and of course the deniers started screaming how all the data is being manipulated and faked to scare you and all that.


The fact that you notice more flooding during storms is a pretty good indicator. Actual sea level rise is a very slow process - just a few millimeters per year, so it falls into the "boiling frog" category.

But during storm surges you can really start to see how much this few mm/year can suddenly bunch up and make a big difference.

Oh, here's the answer. Thanks! This explains it all very well. Now, more questions..........

As landmass(es) rise will the continents draw closer together? Into another Pangea of sorts?

Hello everyone.

Land masses do not float. Land masses are made from continental crust which is more buoyant than oceanic crust but does not float on top of the sea.

In my opinion, no, continental drift will not speed up because of sea level rise. The Pacific Ocean will continue to become smaller and the Atlantic wider due to actions at the boundary between tectonic plates.

The only real impact on tectonics could be to do with isostatic uplift (the rise of the land due to the reduction in the weight of glaciers) which could, in my opinion cause old fault lines to shift as the land settles into it's new place.

Just a note about a question further up the post - Yes many areas of the Northern Hemisphere are still rising in response to the mini ice age 10,000 years ago and therefore this might make it seem that sea level is not rising relative to the land. Also sea levels rise may be distributed unevenly due to thermal expansion - when the oceans heat, they expand. The melting of glaciers is not actually the greatest cause of sea level rise.

Thanks

a reply to: lostbook

Another aspect to consider - Melting ice spells volcanic trouble

In short, scientists have confirmed what geologists have long thoguht - that melting ice caps increase volcanic activity. In Iceland, for example, the end of the last Ice Age coincided volcanic activity becoming 50 times greater than previously.

What is also interesting is they found evidence for an upsurge in volcanic activity at the onset of Ice Ages. In other words, when Earth goes into its axial wobbles (Milankovitch Cycles), the accumulation of ice causes massive under sea lava flows.