Live data from Hacker News

Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin, shifting its axis and influencing its core

nbcnews.com

11–20 of 48 posts

Re: Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin, shifting its axis and influencing its core

#11

Is that as scary as it sounds?

We can measure tiny increments of time to see really small effects on the Earth; it's a testament to how good a lot of our instruments are really. What's scary to me is that the carbon content of the very air we breathe has increased by a third since the time when my mother was a child. That's hardly a small thing.

That can't be a universal increase, can it?

I've been worried about smog, didn't think to track carbon penetration over the last few decades...

Re: Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin, shifting its axis and influencing its core

#12

[flagged]

Hmmm I did not realize conservation of momentum was absolute hogwash. News to me.

No, no, no. This is conservation of angular momentum. Completely different.

/s

Re: Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin, shifting its axis and influencing its core

#13
post #6
post #3

But has there actually been sea level rise? If the ice is melting where is the water?

Yes. Have a look at e.g. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/...

It's interesting to see a nearly linear trend as far back as the data goes (1880). Do you know of any sources to see how that trend might've looked going even further back in time?

Re: Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin, shifting its axis and influencing its core

#15
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can measure tiny increments of time to see really small effects on the Earth; it's a testament to how good a lot of our instruments are really. What's scary to me is that the carbon content of the very air we breathe has increased by a third since the time when my mother was a child. That's hardly a small thing.

That can't be a universal increase, can it? I've been worried about smog, didn't think to track carbon penetration over the last few decades...

The world over; humanity has put more carbon into the air by weight than the total sum of all that we've built on the surface, and it's still accelerating. It's a rather awesome testament to humanity, but not exactly in the positive sense given that the externalities are beginning to bite.

Re: Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin, shifting its axis and influencing its core

#17
post #3

But has there actually been sea level rise? If the ice is melting where is the water?

So far a large portion of the ice melting is sea ice. Because that was already floating and thus displacing water it doesn't actually impact sea level. That's why people always talk about Greenland and Antarctica, two landmasses with huge amounts of ice on them (often kilometers deep). When their ice melts (and it is melting, just slower) you see notable changes in sea levels. This will also accelerate when there's less sea ice around the land keeping things cool

Re: Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin, shifting its axis and influencing its core

#18
post #6
post #3

But has there actually been sea level rise? If the ice is melting where is the water?

Yes. Have a look at e.g. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/...

I firmly believe in climate change and global warming.

I do have a question though. The graph presented starts in 1880 and rises linearly from then, with no correlation to a graph of CO2 levels, which had far more exponential growth between 1880 - 2010s, until recently.

As I understand it, the mini-ice age finished in the 1800s. And started in the 14th century.

So, is this actual evidence? There doesn't seem to be any visible acceleration from what was always happening pre-global warming. And can be blamed on the mini-ice age finishing.

Most worryingly is that page, from scientists, doesn't even address that obvious objection. It briefly mentions sea levels have risen from the 1880s, but doesn't at all address that eyeballing the graph it seems quite obviously linear.

Even more misleading is the graph someone else has linked which starts in the 1990s and doesn't show the rest of the data.

Re: Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin, shifting its axis and influencing its core

#19
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Have a look at e.g. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/...

It's interesting to see a nearly linear trend as far back as the data goes (1880). Do you know of any sources to see how that trend might've looked going even further back in time?

Linear? The rise is more than twice as much between 1980-2020 as 1880 to 1920.

Re: Melting ice is slowing Earth's spin, shifting its axis and influencing its core

#20
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Have a look at e.g. https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/...

It's interesting to see a nearly linear trend as far back as the data goes (1880). Do you know of any sources to see how that trend might've looked going even further back in time?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_sea_level

The ice age had a big impact on sea levels, estimates of 100m lower than it is today

Post reply on HN