Does the polar ice caps melting have any relation to global warming?

Question

Or is it simply a natural cycle of our planet?

Your thoughts?

Answer 1

The ice caps have not melted yet, they melt back every summer, it is what happens during the peak of an interglacial period. The press as well as the scientific community enjoy saying terms like could, might and may when it comes to predictions about the gloom and doom of things to come. They are only predictions, the south pole continues to grow more ice each winter and while the Arctic is continuing to get smaller each summer, it does not constitute a global phenomena if the Antarctic sea ice continues to expand. It seem it is a natural cycle associated with the Northern Hemisphere.

Answer 2

I think it is all a natural cycle. Global warming is a scare tactic to get funding for research and taxation on our "carbon usage". If anything it is the sun heating things up. Just a cycle.

Answer 3

yup coz they wouldnt be melting so fast out of nowhere. so sudden, so fast.

Answer 4

The Antarctic ice cap is not melting. As a matter of fact, it's getting thicker. Here's one article from a believer in global warming for your perusal:

http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index....

The Arctic ice cap is melting, and has been melting since the last ice age. It isn't a new development.  If you look back into the geologic history of our planet, you see that there is only ice there when it is closed off from the rest of the world's oceans. Expose the oceans and the ice melts from warmer waters flowing north from the equator.

The Arctic ice cap is not caused by any sort of global warming. If it was, then we would expect that ice cap to increase, just like the ice cap that's located under the hole in the ozone does.

Answer 5

This weekend I climbed Mt. Washington.    Until about 20,000 years ago, the top of Mt. Washington was the only parcel of land in NH that pierced through the mile thick sheet of ice that covered the state.

Guess what, people weren't driving SUVs to the top of Mt. Washington 20,000 years ago.

Answer 6

it is happening naturally, however global warming speeds up the process, we are coming out of a mini ice age and while we must stop global warming by polluting, it happens natuarally anyway and we cant stop that

Answer 7

I would say that we have affected the natural cycle subsequently causing the ice to melt more rapidly!!

Answer 8

Does an ice cube melt faster in warm water or cold water?

Answer 9

Natural or not, it is still global warming. The issue is, what is causing it? More than likely man is mostly to blame.

Answer 10

Global warming is a natural cyclical process that happens because the Earth is not a static environment.  That said, so are the ice caps, constantly changing.  The ice caps have melted before, they-- apparently-- are melting now.  And when they come back in the future, they will melt again.  As others have said, once again.  We are being told ridiculous lies that all the ice will be gone by September.  Even snow sticks around in shaded areas when the temperature gets above 80.  

Tell us to stop polluting the planet, but do not insult our intelligence.

Answer 11

By all means, they're melting, but more rapidly than expected.

Satellite measurments taken by NASA in 1996, 2000 and 2005 show that southern Greenland glaciers are moving into the sea almost twice as fast as 10 years ago.

Some researchers fear that the polar region already may have passed a "tipping point" from which it can't recover in the foreseeable future. Others think the Arctic ice pack is nearing a point of no return but hasn't reached it yet.

The result would be more or stronger hurricanes caused by warmer tropical waters. Because hurricane formation is so sensitive to sea temperature (one degree F may nearly double annual hurricane energy) the impact could be significant.

Answer 12

Doubt it's a natural phenomenon more than likely we have caused this mess.

Answer 13

Well, if by global warming you mean global temperature change, then yes, I assure you there is a relationship between global temp & melting ice.  What is has to do with human activity is highly questionable.

Answer 14

re-read your question

it makes no sense

I gather that your real question is about whether global warming is a natural,. or man made phenomena.

There is a good case made by both sides.

I doubt that there is anyone who knows for sure.

Personally, I tend to think there is a better case for it being a man made (or man-accelerated) phenomena, than for it being *fully* natural

Answer 15

Might have something to do with undersea volcanoes erupting in the vicinity of the north pole. It is still global warming but not caused by us.

Answer 16

NOPE!

Answer 17

natural cycle. Global Warming is NATURAL!

*Down with Big Brother*

Answer 18

The melting is not happening at an increased rate, and is purely natural.  When summer comes to the Arctic then natural melting happens.  This occurs every year.  The land masses in the Arctic come alive with flora and wildlife...mostly birds.  

Changes happen every year due to Earth's natural warming and cooling.  Some years there is accelerated melting which opens the Northwest Passage, other years this remains entirely closed.

I've seen some predictions here that the entire polar ice cap will be melting this year.  Wow!  That's an incredible amount of ice to thaw.  It's a fear tactic, meant to keep people worried but it can't and won't happen.  The Arctic summer is going well, but the daylight hours will soon rapidly begin to decrease again before the cooler weather begins in August.  Winter begins much earlier at the top of the world.

Answer 19

YES!!!for example is the ice under sudden heat of the sun.

hope it helps...

Answer 20

If it was part of a natural cycle, then it would be melting at a natural rate - that is, over tens of thousands of years.

The fact that it is/has melted so far is one of many indications that mankind's activities are pushing the global climate to a warmer state very, very fast so, yes, the two are most definitely related.

Deadrat is repeating one of the newer myths about global warming re underwater volcanoes. I am still waiting for any one who repeats this myth to back it up with a credible source as it is complete rubbish. Here's one link that describes the recent discoveries - note there is zero mention of any impact upon the ice cap: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/200...

If anything it's the other way round - the melting ice caps relieves pressure at plate boundaries causing an increase in vulcanism: http://environment.newscientist.com/arti...

And to answer Reducto: CNN reported that there is "a 50-50 bet" that the pole "could" be "briefly" ice free in September. You are right to be outraged but your outrage is misdirected - CNN (along with many other news outlets) reported this because... it's true! Your outrage should be at us, the energy guzzling public who have managed to f*k up our planet so much that this amount of melting can happen in such a short time.

Answer 21

CNN last night did a report that the North Pole will be completely melted away by the end of the summer.

Bullshit. There is no way it can or will melt that fast. Why would they make such a outrageous statement-that the North Pole will be completely melted by September?

Answer 22

Definately global warming.

Answer 23

The earth is 3.4 billion years old

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In its history it has been under water - frozen solid - and turned into a paradise

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Only this time the change will of had a helping hand the hand of mankind

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And when the only intelligent life on the planet gets involved well need I say more ....... Where's the car keys honey ..... Got ta go shopping and eating out today ya know .....

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Now the planet will have to start all over again

Scientist have said that there is evidence of 3 times that life has flushed and vanished from the planet

Maybe more

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Out of 3.4 billion years there is only evidence of 150 million years of life of some kind on it what happen in the other 3.3-1/2 billion years got ta of been something happening

.. .. ..

Answer 24

Global warming is due in part to natural cycles. Scientists don't dispute this.  Human activity that has never before driven atmospheric concentrations of CO2 is now, in part, controlled by human beings extracting fossil fuels that were sequestered out of the carbon cycle over millions of years.  Humans now pump BILLIONS of tons of CO2 annually into the air since the industrial revolution.   This does not consider other greenhouse gases and landscape changes. This is not disputed by scientists.  This results in CO2 warming our atmosphere  - this is not disputed by scientist.  This causes accelerated climate change, some of which we can now observe.  This is not disputed by scientists.

The gray area for scientists is mostly how will the ecosystems respond and what will be the ecological and corresponding economic cost.  This is where the uncertainty lies.  We are 90% confident that human activity is causing global warming and climate change.

The US National Academy of Sciences has a publication that summarizes what is known.

http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/clim...

Answer 25

No but global warming does have an affect on melting ploar ice caps!

Answer 26

There are natural cycles of heating and cooling of our planet, but some studies have crunched the available numbers and declared that it seems to be happening faster this time than ever before, and our civilization is the only thing that's different, this time.

Global warming obviously affects the ice caps, has done every time; but the natural cycle of the planet does seem, by all available data, to be a bit too quick to be normal