Paper Finds Schatz Comments on Climate Change Were Only ‘Half True’
What Schatz said was, ”For several days in July of 2012, Greenland surface ice cover melted more than at any time in 30 years of satellite observation. During that month, an estimated 97 percent of the ice sheet thawed.”
The Journal noted that: “Losing that much arctic ice would have a HUGE impact. Not only would sea level rise by roughly 20 feet, the ice would no longer be reflecting sunlight back into space, warming the planet even faster.”
In researching the claim, the paper found a web page from the National Snow & Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, which tracks melting on a daily basis. It said, “For a few days, 97% of the entire ice sheet indicated surface melting.”
The Journal also found a NASA web page that reported that in July 2012, “an estimated 97 percent of the ice sheet surface had thawed by July 12.”
According to the paper, “the melting the satellites tracked was at and near the surface, often to a depth of no more than an inch. The ice sheet itself never thawed, or came close to thawing.” It concluded Schatz’s statement “could easily be misinterpreted as referring to the whole ice sheet,” and not the surface of it.
Photo: An image (right) showing areas of Greenland’s ice sheet that underwent surface melting (NOAA).
— Kery Murakami
