finally some sense about global warming

[funkfool]

The ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica aren't floating, they're sitting on land, called Greenland and Antarctica.

To make a further clarification about ice caps...ice caps are dome-shaped masses of ice of < 50K sq. km. Ice sheets are >50K sq km. Ice caps and ice sheets exist in Canada, Greenland, and Antarctica. Sea ice is water from the sea that freezes. Sea ice is not the same thing as icebergs. The term "polar ice cap" can include ice caps, ice sheets, and sea ice, although technically, it is only the sea ice portion.
Source(s):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_shelf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_ice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cap
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_ice_p…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pack_ice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceberg

The northern polar ice cap = ~100% floating...

Which ones are growing?

Of course, political rhetoric has entered into the realm of scientific inquiry, so the result is unlikely to be pretty.
H.

+1 Agreed.

[DeusExMachina]

Can we at least agree that funkfool says "Use the brain god gave you" far too much?

[funkfool]

Can we at least agree that funkfool says "Use the brain god gave you" far too much?

Yes. noted.

[spyder]

It's actually not 100% floating. It is attached to land masses and resting on parts of the shallower ocean floor. I do understand science, very well in fact and displacement is a very easy concept to get as you know. Unfortunately, if you want to use the whole use your brain comment, I would suggest doing so yourself before attacking what someone else has said. If something is holding itself up, the displacement of the object isn't 100% is it? I will use the glass of ice thing with you also, imagine freezing a toothpick in the cube, and putting the picks on the edges of the glass holding most of the ice out of the water, displacement isn't 100% at that point is it? Can you go under the northern cap? Yep. Can you go around it in a boat? Nope. Why? Because it is attached to land, and below on the continental shelves.

[spyder]

Now, I didn't post on this to try to be some big advocate for the dumb ass known as Al Gore. That guy is a moron as are most of his supporters. Each side has it's dumb shits. If you are going to base your decision on who is on each side, you really need to look at some of the followers that don't believe that fossile fules are indeed bad for the atmosphere. That said, bringing up morons for each side really doesn't add to the arguement but to the ignorance.

[spyder]

To make a further clarification about ice caps...ice caps are dome-shaped masses of ice of < 50K sq. km. Ice sheets are >50K sq km. Ice caps and ice sheets exist in Canada, Greenland, and Antarctica. Sea ice is water from the sea that freezes. Sea ice is not the same thing as icebergs. The term "polar ice cap" can include ice caps, ice sheets, and sea ice, although technically, it is only the sea ice portion.
Source(s):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_shelf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_ice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cap
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_ice_p…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pack_ice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceberg

The northern polar ice cap = ~100&#37; floating...



.

Just so you know, wikipedia isn't always correct. Anyone, and I mean anyone can add to wikipedia. Most of its information is written by every day people that think that they know what the truth is.

[funkfool]

Just used Wikiporkula for general definition...
Just fyi - the tilde (~) expresses approximate.

[spyder]

I think its because it has become such a partisan issue. Some people are so hard-line on their party that everyone else is wrong, and worse, not even credible. Unless its coming from "their side", its completely wrong or some sort of secret agenda to undermine their way of life. So there is absolutely no way a discussion can take place.
Ya, I think you are correct in this. Even if someone from "their side" agreed with "our side" they would just say that person has been "changed" and then blow off what they are saying.
Instead of looking at facts, they look at the people reporting the facts, or the people that agree with one side. Claims that one side is only trying to make a profit seem to forget that the other side stands to make a profit if they get their way, too.
Their side, if we are apparently taking sides now, has been making a ton of money this entire time and only argues the issue, because they stand to lose even more money.
I think this sort of partisan division on important issues is what is destroying this country.
You know, it's funny, one side says, "hey we will listen to your arguements, state facts and tell us how you reached your decision so we can discuss it" and the other side just says "screw you, you are wrong, we are right, we don't care". Isn't that just funny.
Apply previous statements to: Global warming, gun control, the economy, health care, etc.

[cstone]

I'm not stipulating to anything.

Rather than get into an argument about whether the climate is changing and/or whether mankind is responsible for that change, I have a sincere question.

Other than not being wasteful, what am I, as the head of my household, supposed to do to keep the earth from burning to a cinder or becoming a huge popsicle?

I don't ask what the US should do, as I do not believe in a collective consciousness and I don't believe the federal government could manage a healthy bowel movement without making a colossal mess.

I don't believe I, or anyone else on this board has any real chance of convincing the Chinese, Indians, Russians, etc... of restraining their use of carbon based fuels. I certainly don't advocate that our society should unilaterally reduce our standard of living while watching those resources be used by others around the world when that use by anyone, anywhere will have the consequences espoused by those who are convinced by the climate change discussion.

Economics seems to drive the choice of fuels used by societies. If I choose to use "renewable" energy rather than fossil fuels, then I should pay for that choice. If I choose to use fossil fuels, then the choice is mine. I make that choice for myself and my family based on cost and my ability to pay for what makes the best sense to me.

Regardless of what you or I believe, I don't have the right to tell you how to live and what you can or can't buy. God help us when the government makes those choices for us because I hope we all can agree, those choices will almost universally be bad.

[ChunkyMonkey]

Well said, Chuck!