http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/12/the-ten-best-ocean-stories-of-2012/ Ideas, innovations and discoveries from the world of science Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:05:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/12/the-ten-best-ocean-stories-of-2012/comment-page-1/#comment-8211 Pieter Folkens Mon, 24 Dec 2012 02:52:36 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/?p=13519#comment-8211 Stories like these drive me freaking nuts. The Arctic record low was caused by an unusual Arctic cyclone, not high temperatures. In fact, the mean High Arctic Temps were lower than the long-term average and the 2012 melt season (mean arctic temps above freezing) was three days shorter than the mean. (And it was not an "all-time low," but a low for the satellite record. There is plenty of evidence that it has been lower in the relatively recent past.) Meanwhile, the Antarctic had a record high sea ice extent. And how can the sea level on the East Coast rise 3 – 4 times faster than the global average? Could it be Peripheral Bulge Subsidence, that is, since the Laurentide Ice Sheet melted and removed all that mass, much of the East Coast land has been rising. In other words, it's not a rapidly rising sea level, but a sinking land mass. Stories like these drive me freaking nuts. The Arctic record low was caused by an unusual Arctic cyclone, not high temperatures. In fact, the mean High Arctic Temps were lower than the long-term average and the 2012 melt season (mean arctic temps above freezing) was three days shorter than the mean. (And it was not an “all-time low,” but a low for the satellite record. There is plenty of evidence that it has been lower in the relatively recent past.) Meanwhile, the Antarctic had a record high sea ice extent. And how can the sea level on the East Coast rise 3 – 4 times faster than the global average? Could it be Peripheral Bulge Subsidence, that is, since the Laurentide Ice Sheet melted and removed all that mass, much of the East Coast land has been rising. In other words, it’s not a rapidly rising sea level, but a sinking land mass.

]]> http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2012/12/the-ten-best-ocean-stories-of-2012/comment-page-1/#comment-8210 Pieter Folkens Mon, 24 Dec 2012 02:52:17 +0000 http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/?p=13519#comment-8210 The Arctic record low was caused by an unusual Arctic cyclone, not high temperatures. In fact, the mean High Arctic Temps were lower than the long-term average and the 2012 melt season (mean arctic temps above freezing) was a few days shorter than the mean. Source: Danish Meteorological Institute. (And it was not an "all-time low," but a low for the satellite record. There is plenty of evidence that it has been lower in the relatively recent past.) Meanwhile, the Antarctic had a record high sea ice extent. Why was that not a top ten story? And how can the sea level on the East Coast rise 3 – 4 times faster than the global average? Could it be Peripheral Bulge Subsidence, that is, since the Laurentide Ice Sheet melted and removed all that mass, much of the East Coast land has been rising. In other words, it's not a rapidly rising sea level, but a sinking land mass. The Arctic record low was caused by an unusual Arctic cyclone, not high temperatures. In fact, the mean High Arctic Temps were lower than the long-term average and the 2012 melt season (mean arctic temps above freezing) was a few days shorter than the mean. Source: Danish Meteorological Institute. (And it was not an “all-time low,” but a low for the satellite record. There is plenty of evidence that it has been lower in the relatively recent past.) Meanwhile, the Antarctic had a record high sea ice extent. Why was that not a top ten story? And how can the sea level on the East Coast rise 3 – 4 times faster than the global average? Could it be Peripheral Bulge Subsidence, that is, since the Laurentide Ice Sheet melted and removed all that mass, much of the East Coast land has been rising. In other words, it’s not a rapidly rising sea level, but a sinking land mass.

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