Climategate

[steelish]

There are some areas where the ice is growing, just as elsewhere around the globe. But overall, the total amount of ice is dropping.

Huh? Didn't you just contradict yourself?

[Wiscoman]

Huh? Didn't you just contradict yourself?

No. Glaciers are actually expanding in places like Mt. St. Helens, where volcanic activity melted it. Now that the event has ended, the ice comes back. But it won't be as large as it was before the eruption and then it will begin to recede again.

Think of it in terms of profit and loss. Just because a store sells a gallon of milk, it doesn't mean the store is profitable. If the losses are greater than the sales, you're still screwed. Likewise, if the loss of ice is greater than the gains, it's a net loss.

[DuncanONeil]

And there are reports of an increase in volcanic activity. Perhaps that is the planet changing the atmosphere. If that is the case, and we futz with the atmosphere, perhaps we would be making it too cool

No. Glaciers are actually expanding in places like Mt. St. Helens, where volcanic activity melted it. Now that the event has ended, the ice comes back. But it won't be as large as it was before the eruption and then it will begin to recede again.

Think of it in terms of profit and loss. Just because a store sells a gallon of milk, it doesn't mean the store is profitable. If the losses are greater than the sales, you're still screwed. Likewise, if the loss of ice is greater than the gains, it's a net loss.

[Thorne]

Huh? Didn't you just contradict yourself?

I don't think so. The ice gets thicker in some places, due to localized weather conditions, and thinner in other places. Overall, though, the warming is having an effect.