On 5/03/2012 6:09 AM, Karen Thurlow-Kimball wrote:
> That was interesting about the soot and carbon dust causing some of the
> glacier melting.
I am somewhat surprised at what appears to be a lack of understanding of 
the basic science involved in climate change.  Is it to do with the 
reported poor quality of science teaching in your schools?

Virtually all the science in the debate is stuff you covered in school 
science, or should have.  Where there can be some argument, is what 
happens when all this is put together.  I.e. feedback between these 
factors.  This is much, much harder to get a handle on.

Glaciers are a case in point.  In general glaciers advance or retreat 
depending on the snowfall on the ice field and the overall temperature 
where it exists.  Plus the reflectivity of whatever may fall on it.  The 
top surface of a glacier that has a number of tributaries can have a 
large amount of material on its top that originated from their side 
moraines.

So a glacier may advance in a warming climate if the air carries more 
moisture and more snow falls on the ice field.  So it could also retreat 
in a cooling climate if the snowfall diminishes.

Geoff Manning

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