Research shows that glaciers can expand in the ‘blink of an eye’ geologically.
Scientists have discovered that a fast-moving glacier on the Greenland Ice Sheet grew rapidly during a period when the Earth was cooling several thousand years ago.
The finding indicates that ice sheets can not only shrink in response to abrupt warming, but can also reverse course and expand in response to abrupt cooling.
The study found that twice in the early Holocene period – 9,200 years ago and then 8,200 years ago – Jakobshavn Isbrae, a glacier on Greenland’s west coast, overcame rapid shrinkage to expand during brief cooling periods that lasted little more than a century.
Lead researcher Jason Briner, an associate professor of geology at the University at Buffalo, said: ‘When we look at the geologic record, we are finding out that the large rivers of ice that drain ice sheets are extremely sensitive to climate change, both warming and cooling.
In their most recent study, Briner and his students dated glacially deposited sediment from the bottom of the Pluto Lake basin, they found were three distinct layers – a single layer of rocky material about 9,200 years old, sandwiched between two layers of dead plants.
The pattern implies that Jakobshavn was in a cycle of advance and retreat.
It would abruptly expand to the edge of the lake and dump melt water and rocky debris, forming the middle sediment layer. Later, when the region warmed and Jakobshavn receded, plant matter began accumulating, returning the lake bottom to its usual composition.
In addition to Pluto Lake, the scientists studied a moraine, a trail of debris marking Jakobshavn’s path of advance during a different period of growth.
The cooling periods that coincided with the glacier’s growth cycles could be measured on a centennial scale – the blink of an eye in the context of geology.
In other words, the glacier both grew and receded without any help from humans.
It’s a cycle. It’s a cycle. It’s a cycle. Humans have nothing to do with it.
I haven’t had time to research it yet, but I’m guessing that those times when the Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier advanced correspond with times of low sunspot activity such as the Maunder Minimum, and with high volcanic activity.
Thanks to Alan Stover for this link
“This article was published in December 2011,” says Alan. “It makes a good point about how quickly an ice formation can increase in size but of course this article will be lost in the archives when it comes to the current flap over the “Greenland Ice Melt.”
8 Responses to Arctic glaciers can expand in a ‘geologic instant’
SUNSPOTS
11 May - 4 sunspots
Credit: landscheidt.infoGood news! A publisher in Italy has now translated Not by Fire but by Ice into Italian.
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Definitely cycles within cycles at work when it comes to climate. This is one truth the warmists refuse to accept. Their refusal to face reality could very well be their undoing FWIW.
As well as the rest of ours.
I would think that in addition to being sensitive to warming and cooling they would be sensitive to positive and negative precipitation surpluses. This is even more true of glaciers in marine west coast and marine subarctic areas on west coasts, where temperatures don’t vary much on any time scale and therefore a few surplus precip years and it’s rock and roll.
Amazing! Cooler=growing glaciers; warming=shrinking glaciers! I never would have dreamed of such a thing. How many of these “scientists” REALLY believe the sky is blue? Fiddlin
I have been listening to the lectures of a man called Maurice Cetterell. Although he strays into the realms of archeology and comparative religion, nevertheless what he has discovered about cycles in the Sun is important for climatology too. How the Suns radiation effects our reproductive fertility. That the ancients were understanding these matters more than we do today. That we are only now beginning to rediscover these things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naZ8SifwNKQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x_XwKLdfC0&feature=relmfu
http://mauricecotterell.com/
The Works of Maurice Cotterell
Bestselling Author, Engineer and Scientist
In 1989 engineer and scientist Maurice Cotterell found a way of calculating the duration of long-term magnetic reversals on the Sun. Using this knowledge he was able to break the codes of ancient sun-worshipping civilizations, first the Mayas of Central America, those of Tutankhamun of Egypt, and the Viracochas’ of South America, before cracking the codes of the Terracotta Warriors of China and the European Celts.
His research explains how the 28-day spinning Sun regulates fertility in females and how it determines personality of the foetus in the womb (sun-sign astrology). It explains how the Sun causes schizophrenia, how mobile phones and overhead power lines cause cancer and how VDU’s (TV and computer screens) cause miscarriages. And it explains how the Sun brings periodic catastrophic destruction to Earth every few thousand years.
His own unique decoding process reveals amazing pictures from archaeological treasures that explain the spiritual mysteries of life; why we are born, why we die and why this has to be.
His work, best described as ‘adventure fact’ brings together modern science, spirituality and ancient wisdom to unlock the secrets of the past, the present and the future.
In February, 2010, the UK Institute of Engineering and Technology accepted How Gravity Works—and related matters for deposit in their Research Paper database. It explains: How Electricity and Magnetism work-together to produce the force of Gravity; the nature of Dark Matter; the reason why spiral galaxies are spiral shaped; the reason why the Earth’s core is red-hot; the cause of Permanent Magnetism and the global-warming-and-cooling mechanism.
In June 2010, he finished How Gravity Works-and related matters, Part 2, which explains: How gravity waves can be generated and used to provide unlimited supplies of free energy; how antigravity waves can be used in place of electrolysis to produce unlimited supplies of free hydrogen, to power vehicles; and, how antigravity waves can be used to cause the disintegration of hydrogen-containing matter (phasor weapons technology). It also describes how Electricity works at atomic level and why a magnetic field is produced when a current flows, why the field is proportional to current flow, and why the field is 90° to the direction of current.
FUTURESCIENCE explains how electricity and magnetism work together to produce the force of Gravity and in so doing reveals the underlying science behind Newton’s equation that he tried in vain to uncover; the reason why Gravity is proportional to the masses of two attracting objects, why it grows weaker in proportion to the square of the distance between them, the nature of the mysterious ‘Gravitational Constant’—that continues to perplex researchers to this day—and why all objects accelerate to Earth at 32 feet per second.
It explains why the atom is comprised of 8 orbital shells and why the shells fill with electrons the way that they do.
It explains how permanent magnetism works at atomic level, the nature of so-called ‘dark matter’, the reason why spiral galaxies are spiral shaped, why the centre of the Earth is red-hot, and how the Earth’s magnetic field is generated.
It explains how to generate gravity waves to produce unlimited quantities of free energy, and antigravity waves, to produce unlimited supplies of free hydrogen to power cars of the future. And it explains how antigravity waves can be used to cause the molecular disintegration of matter (phasor weapons).
It explains how the 28-day spinning Sun regulates fertility in females, how it determines human behaviour and personality (Astrology) and how it causes global-warming-and-global-cooling.
The Author returns to the beginning of ‘time’ to explain how the Universe began and reveals the first ever pictures of God, and Jesus, decoded from the treasures of ancient sun-worshipping civilizations.
FUTURESCIENCE is for the general reader with no previous knowledge of Science.
hoping some UNdoing of the climate scammers is in the works.
seems Anthony Watts has done a hold the presses note to all, and is going to post something very interesting soon.
and thats happened between last night when I looked in and early this eve aussie time.
This can be seen at the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau. Last year, the leading edge contracted 450 feet. This year the leading edge is growing by 1.5 – 2 per day. Won’t take long to over take last years decline.