Which will melt first and why: a) the Greenland Ice Sheet, b) the Antarctic Ice Sheet?
Answer:
I do not think the Antarctic is losing mass at all. That is to say it isn't currently melting. Some sections are melting and some are gaining ice mass. The contribution of Antarctic ice melt to ocean level increases is currently neglible.
The temperature variation in Greenland rose to a higher temp and at a rate 50% faster in teh 1920's and 1930's with a peak temperature occuring in 1941. This would suggest that the warming we are seeing now is not outside normal. That is good news, as the world was not flooded, or even inconvenienced by sea level rises during those time periods.
Thus, I feel confident saying that we are not going to see either ice sheet melt.
I'm not actually sure, but where ever there is more gas and heat it will be melting, but I would thing the Greenland ice sheet because closer to it is canada, maine, and europe, where people are using energy and making the earth hotter and oil and heat so that is my theory.
Greenland. It is less thick and less wide than the Antarctic sheet. The Gulf Stream will continue to grow and strengthen, bringing warm water to Greenland. There is no comparab le current in the south. Much greater levels of industry in the northern hemisphere will result in greater deposits of particulate matter in Greenland, decreasing albedo and hastening melting.
Greenland. Because of the ozone hole having a local effect on the weather, central Antarctica is going to take longer to warm. And the Antarctic ice is thicker.
The more northerly Antarctic Peninsula is melting right now, though.
Global warming is not hopeless. We can reduce it enough to avoid a complete disaster. Here's the plan:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/worl...
http://www.ipcc.ch/spm040507.pdf...
Greenland will melt faster
maybe greenland. the gulf stream and the ocean conveyor both deposit warm waters off the coast of greenland.
http://www.grida.no/climate/vital/32.htm...
i think it may be the Antarctic ice sheet as the ozone layer over that region is already very thin. And depleted ozone layer brings in lots of UV radiation that will aid the melting of ice at a faster rate.
Greenland would melt first. Volume of ice is considerably less. Temperatures and solar heating are higher regardless of which model of global warming you accept.
Actually greenland's ice is getting bigger
Don't assume anything . I don't know if u have noticed that in Antarctica it is winter time and possible -50 deg F. U think it will melt any time soon.
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