Researchers find warming waters melting glaciers. Please see the linked article for the full story. Please note, too, that many newspapers only make their articles available on-line for a week or two, after which they may be archived and available only upon payment of a fee.
Researchers find warming waters melting glaciers.
Warming of tropical sea surface temperatures may be contributing to the melting of high altitude tropical glaciers, according to researchers. In the Sept. 12 issue of Nature, Henry F. Diaz of NOAA's Climate Diagnostics Center and Nicholas Graham of Scripps say that a general warming of the climate system in recent decades is related to a long-term increase of sea surface temperatures in the tropics and the resulting enhancement of the tropical hydrologic cycle. According to the researchers, higher sea surface temperatures and atmospheric humidity in recent decades are consistent with glacial records which indicate that temperatures in the tropics are warmer than at any time in the past 2000-3000 years. The study compared temperature changes in the tropics, based on instrument records for the past three to four decades, to the results of a general circulation model. All Rights Reserved.