James Masinelli

Climate Change

I like to base my opinion on facts and frankly the facts do not always point to an earth
that is abnormally warming. The two main points that come up when discussing climate change
are 1: The polar ice sheets are receding or at the very least staying the same (depending on who
you refer to.) 2: The earths average temperature has risen. Each point is validated through
extensive research from different agencies across the globe. I am not trying to disprove the
findings of these agencies, but I am trying to shed some light on the other side of the coin. I want
to show that the reasons behind global warming or if it is actually happening may not be as cut
and dry -or should I say hot and cold- as we think them to be.
Addressing the first point. The polar ice sheets are receding or at the very least staying
the same. This is a focal point amongst climate change discussions. Makes logical since too.
The warmer the earth the more ice that melts. Thus because more ice is melting than normal the
earth must be warming. NSIDC (National Snow and Ice Data Center.)
Arctic sea ice extent for October 2015 averaged 7.72 million square kilometers (2.98
million square miles), the sixth lowest October in the satellite record. This is 1.19 million
square kilometers (460,000 square miles) below the 1981 to 2010 average extent, and
950,000 square kilometers (367,000 square miles) above the record low monthly average
for October that occurred in 2007. (Source 2, NSIDC)
They are stating that although the ice is above the lowest amount recorded it is still lower than
the average ice accumulation recordings taken between 1981-2010. I looked to NASA for more
information and found this in an article.

James Masinelli

Climate Change

Were essentially in agreement with other studies that show an increase in ice discharge
in the Antarctic Peninsula and the Thwaites and Pine Island region of West Antarctica,
said Jay Zwally, a glaciologist with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,
Maryland. Our main disagreement is for East Antarctica and the interior of West
Antarctica there, we see an ice gain that exceeds the losses in the other areas. Zwally
added that his team measured small height changes over large areas, as well as the
large changes observed over smaller areas. Scientists calculate how much the ice sheet
is growing or shrinking from the changes in surface height that are measured by the
satellite altimeters. In locations where the amount of new snowfall accumulating on an
ice sheet is not equal to the ice flow downward and outward to the ocean, the surface
height changes and the ice-sheet mass grows or shrinks. (Source 1, Study: Mass gains
of Antarctic ice sheet greater than losses.)
Zwally is saying that the notion that all of the Antarctic ice receding is false. His findings show
that some of the ice is receding while in other areas the ice is growing. He attributes the growing
ice to snowfall. When these findings come to light it really shows how different data can be
obtained scientifically and still contradict each other.
In addition to changes in polar ice sheet sizes, global temperature change is also
frequently discussed within the scientific community. It is called Global Warming so the Globe
must be warming, right? NASA writes:
Global temperature is up 1.4* F since 1880 he 10 warmest years in the 134-year record
all have occurred since 2000, (Source: NASA/GISS). This research is broadly consistent
with similar constructions prepared by the Climatic Research Unit and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Source 3 NASA)
2

James Masinelli

Climate Change

According to the daily mail referring to a UN meeting:

A leaked copy of a United Nations report, compiled by hundreds of scientists, shows
politicians in Belgium, Germany, Hungary and the United States raised concerns about
the final draft. Published next week, it is expected to address the fact that 1998 was the
hottest year on record and world temperatures have not yet exceeded it, which scientists
have so far struggled to explain. Documents seen by the Associated Press, yesterday [Sep
18, 2013] revealed deep concerns among politicians about a lack of global warming over
the past few years. Germany called for the references to the slowdown in warming to be
deleted, saying looking at a time span of just 10 or 15 years was misleading and they
should focus on decades or centuries. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change has changed its tune after issuing stern warnings about climate change for years.
Hungary worried the report would provide ammunition for deniers of man-made climate
change. Belgium objected to using 1998 as a starting year for statistics, as it was
exceptionally warm and makes the graph look flat - and suggested using 1999 or 2000
instead to give a more upward-pointing curve. (Source 4 Daily Mail).
This Daily Mail report shows how scientific observations can be skewed to promote a certain
political view point. Reports like these are why I do not always trust scientific institutions on
climate change. I believe that climate change is not happening at a rate that we are lead on. I do
believe that the earth is periodically warming but it is due to a natural cycle; that man has little
effect on this cycle.

James Masinelli

Climate Change

Sources:

1: Jos Vias, M. (2015, November 6). Study: Mass gains of Antarctic ice sheet greater than
losses. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://climate.nasa.gov/news/2361/

2: National Snow and Ice Data Center. (2015, November 4). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from
http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/

3: Global Climate Change. (2015, November 22). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from
http://climate.nasa.gov/

4: Correspondent, T. (2013, September 20). World's top climate scientists told to 'cover up' the
fact that the Earth's temperature hasn't risen for the last 15 years. Retrieved November 23, 2015,
from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2425775/Climate-scientists-told-cover-factEarths-temperature-risen-15-years.html