BBC Accused Of Misleading Reporting About Melting Antarctic Glacier
By Paul Homewood
The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration is performing some magnificent science conducting the most ambitious fieldwork ever undertaken at the tip of what is one of the most significant glaciers on Earth. Its melting already contributes 4% of global sea level rise and there are fears that it could become unstable and contribute many metres to global sea level.
The reason for its vulnerability lies in its geology. While most of the glacier is on ground and making its way into the West Antarctic seas, Thwaites lip floats on water allowing warm water to weaken and melt it from beneath. Being one of the most difficult places in the world to reach the scientific collaboration planned for years to transport many tonnes of equipment to the glaciers front. Two weeks ago they announced they had carried out the first warm water borehole through the ice at the point where it lifts off the land and starts to be suspended by the ocean. Image courtesy British Antarctic Survey.
Reports by the mainstream media from the region have in general been very good in explaining the problem, the science and the difficulties of getting there and working in such a harsh environment (see e.g. here, here and here). It is extremely difficult to do this. There have been many recent reports concerning the increasing focus on Thwaites glacier and the uncertainties and projections have been deftly handled.
Sometimes however what is not mentioned in a report is important.
The significance of the melting of the Thwaites and the adjacent Pine Island glaciers is acknowledged as is the potential influence of warm water at the coast. However, the BBC’s latest report (and here) does not mention an important fact that is widely known and that it and others have reported previously – the influence of active volcanoes beneath the glacier.
Despite claims about climate change and admonition to lower our greenhouse gas emission as a way to ameliorate the melting of Thwaites, it should have been pointed out that what is happening underneath the glacier could be in large parts an act of geology and one of those natural and globally-important dynamics that have been occurring throughout the ages.
What is more, the scientists will remain on Thwaites for a while yet. They have not analysed their data yet, so claims that they have confirmed “the Thwaites glacier is melting even faster than scientists thought…” are premature.
Not every thing that changes dramatically, or has the potential to do so, is solely or mainly down to mankind’s effect on the environment. Despite our influences we have always lived in a natural world that is changing constantly and by itself. Researchers have suggested Thwaites may change dramatically in the next few decades and centuries to come or even longer. It could result in a significant rise in global sea levels. But calling it a “Doomsday” glacier is unjustified and simply doom-mongering.
https://www.thegwpf.com/thwaites-glacier-why-did-the-bbc-fail-to-mention-the-volcanoes-underneath/
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
A survey of the geological features of Antarctica that are overlooked in the use of Antarctica to sell AGW.
https://tambonthongchai.com/2019/06/27/antarctica/
As I am led to believe, the BBC decided that the science of AGW was proven in a secret meeting with lobbyists. Are they open to claim that they have behaved against their charter by accepting such a decision given that the science is controversial?
So far as I am aware all claims of global warming damage in the US have been thrown out of court: it is time the snake-oil salesmen were tried in a UK court.
The effect of the BBC’s erroneous decision has been to allow brainwashing of the population with unproven, (in fact, usually quickly dis-proven by Paul) bad science. This has cost the country a massive amount of money through policy interference, encouraged radical green groups in their actions and terrified a generation apparently.
It is time for the tumbrils to roll, surely.
Remember, as far as I can tell, not one of the BBC’s ‘science’ reporters has a degree in any science. Roger Harrabin has a degree in English.
To quote Lindzen quoting C P Snow:
“So the great edifice of modern physics goes up, and the majority of the cleverest people in the western world have about as much insight into it as their Neolithic ancestors would have had.”
Dide he even graduate with an English degree as the background says ‘studied English’ at Cambridge.
https://www.gtc.ox.ac.uk/about/fellows/roger-harrabin/
Normally these sorts of things will say ‘graduated in english’ etc if that was the case.
“It is time for the tumbrils to roll, surely.”
Thanks, Shirl, a great reply!
I wonder what would be the outcome if we refused to pay our license fee. Would the BBC take us to court? If they do, it would make an excellent forum to highlight their totally biased reporting on climate change in support of a defense that they have failed in their duty as stipulated by their charter and as such have broken the terms under which they can levy a fee.
‘Its melting already contributes 4% of global sea level rise’
The rate of sea level rise is unchanged in 100 years. So this contribution has been going on for a hundred years, or IT DOESN’T MATTER.
‘there are fears that it could become unstable and contribute many metres to global sea level.’
Everybody needs something to be scared of. In the unlikely event that it happens, wait . . . this post is being interrupted . . . .
Wiki:
‘On 15 March 2002, the National Ice Center reported that an iceberg named B-22 broke off from the ice tongue. This iceberg was about 85 km long by 65 km wide, with a total area of some 5,490 km².’
IT HAS HAPPENED!
Never mind.
The rate of sea level rise is unchanged in 100 years. A 5,490 km² iceberg made no difference. It really doesn’t matter.
As an engineer I explained to my wife the comment by the late Christopher Booker that when the ice in a Gin & Tonic melts the drink doesn’t fall out of the glass. She didn’t believe me so I had to carry out an experiment with a tumbler, ice-cube and water complete with meniscus. And the ice melted and no water overflowed. The Antarctic Glacier can all melt and the sea level won’t rise by a millimetre.
Wrong.
Most of the glacier is on dry land.
In reply to ‘Jack’:
The melting glacier is being added to by snow and ice from the natural evaporation, condensation, precipitation cycle. That it is on dry land is but a phase of that cycle.
Broke off on dry land?
‘Warm’ water undermining the ocean edge of the Thwaites Glacier is a little misleading. It is probably cold water that is not frozen and may well be close to zero degrees.
It’s so hot, hot, hot! down there that if you fall in the southern ocean you can swim about to your hearts content for up to one whole minute before you need to be fished out. Anything longer and your bodies core temperature will drop past a real ‘tipping point’ and you’ll be dead inside 2 minutes.
Balmy stuff eh? Now where’s me swimming trunks?
We could do with knowing the temperature of this ‘warm’ water.
You can see the Antartic sea temperature 0 to 1900 meters at climate4u. Data is from Argo bouys and is shown in 100m steps. The temperature trend appears to be zero over the Argo measurement time period.
Is that true, or did you hear it on the BBC ?
East Antarctica is far more massive than West Antarctica, but doesn’t seem to have these supposed issues. NASA informed us in 2015:
NASA Study: Mass Gains of Antarctic Ice Sheet Greater than Losses
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/nasa-study-mass-gains-of-antarctic-ice-sheet-greater-than-losses
BBC cherry pickers ignore such things in their endless desire to ring their crummy climate alarm bells and blame humans for natural forces.
This story (as in lie) is on the BBC news every day this week. It features the BBC;s chief Environment correspondent, Justin Rowlatt, who understands nothing about the environment and even less about “climate change”.
Correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t glaciers “fuelled” by snowfall occurring over their entire surface, and I am guessing that climate change hasn’t raised the surface temperature above zero or reduced the snowfall, so it is still replenishing the losses at the foot end. It is, after all, the weight of the snow accumulations which causes the glacier to flow (at a glacial pace!) downhill, scouring the bedrock in the process.
A glance at the size of the Thwaites glacier shows it to be approx 400km long, and the thickness is up to 3km and the BBC map shows that it has reduced in height near the volcanic area by up to 20m in 25 years but appears to be virtually unchanged at the head area. So 3km divided by 20m times 25 years gives 3,750 years to melt the current glacier if there wasn’t any further snowfall.
It moves at around 2km per year so the snow currently melting is up to 200 years old. 1820 was when Charles Babbage first proposed his difference engine, the mechanical equivalent of the computer.
It does all rather make the climate emergency seem not quite so urgent.
“..could …contribute many metres to sea-level rise…”
That is a straight-forward HOWLER for “…many millimetres…”
Well quite. At 4% of 3mm a year, it is contributing 120,000 nanometers, or about 240 wavelengths of green light. It would take about 3,600 trillion cubic meters of ice to raise the level by 10 meters (chosen as “many” and to make your preferred arithmetic easier). The entire Thwaites basin is about 192,000 sq km, so it would take the melting of a volume 1,880 metres deep with that area to produce a 1 metre SLR.
The BBC is knocking its own nails in its coffin
The sooner its buried the better
Thought I had lost the list of those who decided BBC policy but just found it again http://omnologos.com/full-list-of-participants-to-the-bbc-cmep-seminar-on-26-january-2006/
The BBC report last night did say as an after-comment that the melting could take up to 300 years, but moved on quickly to the 4 metre potential rise in sea level.
If you look at a map of Antarctica you will that it asymmetrical about the pole. The eastern area extending out far more the west. One should ask why. In the west there is an active rift running along its edge which indicates that perhaps it is the upwelling energy from this volcanic activity that is providing a major influence in the behaviour and extent of ice in this western area. Groupthink pronouncements about global warming are NOT helpful in this context and the BBC et al should be made very much aware of this where bias is concerned.
Volcanos do tend to warm things up a bit
https://tambonthongchai.com/2019/06/27/antarctica/
A few of my quibbles:
1) They call it the doomsday glacier? Anyone who does that is fired. This is science, not dungeons and dragons.
2) It’s worse than we thought: we didn’t know what it was before, because as you said in your report (Today, R4), this is the first time this thingy, this whatever it is, has been measured. (?temperature of water below the glacier?). How can it be worse? This is the first data point.
3) It’s worse than we thought = we were wrong before.
4) It’s worse than we thought (conspiracy ideation): does anybody seriously think there was the slightest chance that after all this to-ing and fro-ing at great expense and effort across the White Continent with these machines etc, and measuring this thingy for the first time, that the bearded wonders might have come back and announced: “It’s better than we thought.”?
5) Today, R4, the reporter described Thwaites as the most remote place in Antarctica. Since it is on the coast, that must be a mistake.
6) The temperature of the inflowing water is presumably about 2C. The language and the graphic on the BBC website make it sound like it’s just come out of a kettle.
Doomsday Glacier indeed!
Scientists drill into Antarctic ‘doomsday glacier’ to see if it will collapse and flood the world
https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/29/scientists-drill-antarctic-doomsday-glacier-see-will-collapse-flood-world-12142289/
The Beeb “expert” (qualifications not reported) was sent to report, at great expense, to cover this great investigation and it was justified only if there was something dramatic to report. His great animation was truly orgasmic with flailing hand gestures and serious facial distortions. I would imagine if his arms were duct taped to his body he would be mute. So we now have one data point and only a charlatan can make a trend from it.
Justin Rowlatt’s Wiki entry says he went to an Oxford College but nowhere does it mention a degree. I will leave you to draw your own conclusions.
He has only ever worked in journalism.
Of course we now have the joyous prospect of 9 months of tantalisingly escalating hype in the run up to Glasgow in November.
We can only hope that by that stage the entire gang of BBC misreporters will have attained ‘peak hysteria’ and vanish up their own backsides! If only…..!!
Can’t find a link just now but I know I read about this borehole about three weeks ago.
It was done three weeks maybe a month ago watch this pace.
The good old British Bulls Corporation none stop lying.
If there was any real science there would be no lead to mislead so much …..
David Attenborough Accused Of Misleading Public About Polar Bears, Again
BBC Accused Of Serious Errors And Misleading Statements In David Attenborough’s Climate Show
Netflix, Attenborough And Cliff-Falling Walruses: The Making Of A False Climate Icon
https://www.thegwpf.org/?s=David+Attenborough+
A custard pie in the face for the ‘worse than we thought’ brigade…
BBC — Climate change: Worst emissions scenario ‘misleading’
By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent
4 hours ago
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51281986
Yes indeed, I heard about this and have been thinking for a suitable response: Did these Morons once work for a well-known English Urban Supermarket chain? …. where every little helps? I’ve heard of trying o sell snowballs to the Eskimos – so where does that relate to Hot water for melting the Ice?
From http://www.plateclimatology.com/three-new-studies-confirm-volcanism-is-melting-west-antarctic-glaciers-not-global-warming
‘Three New Studies Confirm Volcanism Is Melting West Antarctic Glaciers, Not Global Warming’ , as James Kamis on June 29, 2018 outlines the feature of each of the three peer reviewed studies, and finishes with …
I have also lodged a complaint and suggested (tongue-in-cheek as it won’t happen!) they redress the balance by reporting the story in No Tricks Zone that 13 out of 13 Antarctic Peninsular weather stations record COOLING over the past 21 years.
Closest weather station to Thwaites is McMurdo Station, 1300 miles away. High tomorrow 22F. Looking like there is no weather data for Thwaites at all. None.
Additionally, Antarctica is 5,500,000 sq miles. Bigger than Europe. 13 weather stations. Each station represents 423,076 square miles.
We know nothing. It’s all pretend science.
ITBB discussion
Times journo says something ALOUD
which is not normally ALLOWED in metroliberal media Grouthink-land
Given that the BBC’s chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlett was just on Radio 4’s PM ten minutes earlier reporting from Thwaites Gracier,
I’m guessing Sean had the BBC guy in mind. Maybe the BBC needs an Ethical Man to rule on such matters.
Not for nothing are they known as the British Bullshite Corpulence.
and oh another thing, which needs addressing they also claimed that the western shelf is the “coldest area on the continent” – another total whopper.
Reblogged this on ajmarciniak.
Back in 2008 it was reported A recent volcanic eruption beneath the West Antarctic Ice sheet
From — https://www.researchgate.net/publication/31998771_A_recent_volcanic_eruption_beneath_the_West_Antarctic_Ice_sheet
———
Active Volcano Discovered Under Antarctic Ice Sheet reports Becky Oskin November 17, 2013.
https://www.livescience.com/41262-west-antarctica-new-volcano-discovered.html
———
From Sep 13, 2017 — https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-11515-3
The first physical evidence of subglacial volcanism under the West Antarctic Ice Sheet by Nels A. Iverson, Ross Lieb-Lappen, Nelia W. Dunbar, Rachel Obbard, Ellen Kim & Ellyn Golden.
Scientific Reports volume 7, Article number: 11457 (2017)
———
Also from 2017 — A new volcanic province: an inventory of subglacial volcanoes in West Antarctica
by MAXIMILLIAN VAN WYK DE VRIES*, ROBERT G. BINGHAM & ANDREW S. HEIN
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK
*Correspondence: gmaxvwdv@gmail.com
———
‘Three New Studies Confirm Volcanism Is Melting West Antarctic Glaciers, Not Global Warming’ reports James Kamis on June 29, 2018 outlines the features of each of the three peer reviewed studies, and finishes with …
———
NASA Data: 13 Of 13 Antarctic Peninsula, Island Stations Show Cooling Trend Over Past 21 Years!
https://notrickszone.com/2020/01/24/nasa-data-13-of-13-antarctic-peninsula-island-stations-show-cooling-trend-over-past-21-years/
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So BBC why all the misreporting? Or is it that the BBC can only report what GREENPEACE approves?
Thanks Chaamjamal for the link.
Early explorers such as:Byrd,Amundsen etc. remarked on the warmth of the waters in those areas of West Antactica,but does anyone know the actual temperatures,if recorded that is.
Has anyone lodged a complaint to the BBC or their watchdog?
This lot have filed a number of complaints against the British Bullshit Corporation and had at least one apology.
Trouble is the lie has gotten around the world before the truth has got it’s hat on someone once said.
The people see the lie the lie spreads no one ever sees the apologies.
https://www.thegwpf.org/david-attenborough-accused-of-misleading-public-about-polar-bears-again/