Greenland's shrinking ice cover: "fast times" but not that fast
Date
2012
Authors
Kargel, J.S.
Ahlstrom, A.P.
Alley, R.B.
Bamber, J.L.
Benham, T.J.
Box, J.E.
Chen, C.
Christoffersen, P.
Citterio, M.
Cogley, J.G.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Copernicus Publications
Abstract
A map of Greenland in the 13th edition (2011) of
the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World made headlines
because the publisher’s media release mistakenly stated that
the permanent ice cover had shrunk 15% since the previous
10th edition (1999) revision. The claimed shrinkage was
immediately challenged by glaciologists, then retracted by
the publisher. Here we show: (1) accurate maps of ice extent
based on 1978/87 aerial surveys and recent MODIS imagery;
and (2) shrinkage at 0.019%a−1 in 50 000 km2 of ice in a
part of east Greenland that is shown as ice-free in the Times
Atlas.
Description
Sherpa Romeo green journal. Open access article. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) applies
Keywords
Greenland , Ice cover , Ice distribution , Ice shrinkage , Glaciologists , HarperCollins
Citation
Kargel, J.S., Ahlstrom, A.P., Alley, R.B., Bamber, J.L., Benham, T.J., Box, J.E. ... Willis, I. (2012). Greenland's shrinking ice cover: "fast times" but not that fast. Cryosphere, 6, 533-537. doi:10.5194/tc-6-533-2012