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Doubling of CO2 Lowers Sea Level - According to Model

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by TimBikes, Nov 12, 2006.

  1. TimBikes

    TimBikes New Member

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    Interesting Study...

    This is a bit different from the usual story, though personally I don't have a very high degree of confidence in the GCMs (models) used in Climate Change predictions either way.

    "...The results from the greenhouse experiment with doubled carbon-dioxide concentration thus suggest not only a mass gain in Antarctica due to the increase in accumulation, but also a mass gain in Greenland, since the enhanced ablation in the warmer climate does not fully compensate for the increased accumulation. In terms of global sea level change, these mass balance shifts correspond to a net sea level decrease of 1.2 mm y−1 at the time of doubled carbon-dioxide."
     
    #1 TimBikes, Nov 12, 2006
  2. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    #2 F8L, Nov 12, 2006
  3. TimBikes

    TimBikes New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ Nov 12 2006, 03:36 PM) [snapback]347953[/snapback]</div>
    I don't think so. The article I posted had to do with models that project a sea level decline with a doubling of CO2. The links you posted have to do with recent sea level declines that were actually measured, not modeled.
     
    #3 TimBikes, Nov 14, 2006
  4. dcoyne78

    dcoyne78 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TimBikes @ Nov 12 2006, 01:43 AM) [snapback]347731[/snapback]</div>
    The abstract goes on from your quote (the following few sentences):
    "This may compensate for a substantial fraction of the melt-induced sea level rise from smaller glaciers and ice caps, leaving thermal expansion as the dominant factor for sea level rise over the coming decades. The compensating effect, however, could fade if carbon-dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere cannot be stabilized and continue to rise above double the present values, since the associated greenhouse warming could then become large enough to induce significant melting also on the Antarctic ice sheet."

    So it doesn't really say that doubling CO2 lowers sea level, it says the mass increase in Greenland and Antarctica may compensate for the sea-level rise due to melting elsewhere and there is also some rise due to thermal expansion.

    Dennis
     
    #4 dcoyne78, Nov 16, 2006
  5. TimBikes

    TimBikes New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(maineprius947 @ Nov 16 2006, 08:48 AM) [snapback]350163[/snapback]</div>
    Dennis - you are correct. Sloppy word choice in my title and sloppy interpretation on my part.

    It appears that what they model is that a predicted increase in precipitation resulting from a doubling of C02 effectively offsets predicted sea level rise attributable to other factors (some natural, some not), to some degree - though there is an apparent lack of scientific precision in the matter. It may be a case of 2 steps forward (up), one step back (down), if you will.

    Interesting info here...
     
    #5 TimBikes, Nov 16, 2006
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