Glaciers that exist today have been absent for almost 10,000 years – Is it growing because of that?
Via Kenneth Richard above 27. December 2021
The cryosphere is not cooperating with the story of human-caused global warming that says increased greenhouse gas emissions could cause Arctic ice to melt catastrophically.
Scientists (O’Regan et al., 2021) reports Ryder Glacier in northern Greenland raised 2,881 m from 1948-2015 at a rate of 43 m/year-first. Its modern ice extent is about 50 kilometers larger than it was 6,300 years ago.
Nearby, the Petermann Glacier is 60 kilometers long, which didn’t even exist during the Roman Warm Period. As the chart at the bottom right of the image below shows, there was no ice in this area for all but a few centuries of the Holocene before 2,000 years ago. Petermann’s Little Ice Age size is similar to its modern state.
Image source: O’Regan et al., 2021
Another glaciologist (Winker, year 2021) asserts there is “no evidence” that Jostedalsbreen, a glacier south of Norway, existed even during the first few thousand years of the Holocene, or when CO2 hovered near 260 ppm. Glaciers reached their maximum growth stage during the Little Ice Age, with CO2 concentrations between 275 and 280 ppm.
“The ‘Holocene maximum’ or ‘Hypsithermal’ at Jostedalsbreen does not provide evidence for any significant glacial activity and can be described as a prolonged period of near (even solstice) … In contrast, the highest glacial inputs are dated to 600 and 200 cal. a BP indicates a local ‘Little Ice Age’ maximum. “
Interestingly, after rapidly wasting away in the 1930s and 1940s, the glacier has stabilized again. From the 1950s to the 1980s, there was an “overall slight progress” in ice range. This corresponds to a similar melting pattern for the Nigardsbreen glacier.
Image source: Winker, year 2021
A few months ago we marked a new research records an Early and Middle Holocene warmer than present day in East Greenland. The ice caps were “absence” or much less extended than they are now during this period.
What may be surprising is that carbon-dated plant remains buried under retreating glaciers in East Greenland confirm these sites are not covered by glaciers. 400 to 500 years ago, or during the cold period of the Little Ice Age.
Image source: Medford et al., 2021
The authors even acknowledge that there were occasional brief “cold periods” during the Holocene as Greenland’s glacial levels progressed to present-day levels.
“… Renland Ice Cap arrived for a short time[ed] range during cold periods could be similar to today. “
This, of course, confirms that modern temperatures and ice masses are also within the range of the “cold period”.
So again, there is no evidence to support the alarmists’ claims that modern glacial regions are unprecedented or even unusual compared with the past 10,000 years – including several centuries. previous century.
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