As this article from the Times on line discusses, Iceland's ice mass is decreasing. The cause? Of course, it's global warming. The headline is typical fear mongering: "Increase in volcanic activity is linked to ice melted by global warming." OK, I'll buy warmth melts ice but that's the only correlation I'll buy. There are three problems with this title, article and "conclusion."

1 - How can the scientist be so sure it's global warming causing the ice to melt? Maybe the volcanic activity under the surface is causing the ice to melt. Iceland actually gets a lot of its energy from geothermal pools, underground hot springs. Assuming that something on the surface is causing an ice mass decrease is not conclusive.

2 - The article says Iceland "has allowed the land to rise by up to 25m (82ft) a year. " WOW! That's a huge increase - 82 feet a year. If so, wouldn't we have noticed problems with this before now? I mean, if the land around my house rose even 2' a year, I'd know it - 82' a year?

3 - Greenland's ice mass is increasing. A look at a map shows the two countries very close together - both are sitting close to the Atlantic Ridge Mountains (underwater). Why is one experiencing ice melt, the other increased ice mass? Does not compute.

Finally, only after reading five paragraphs and getting to the last sentence does one discover that maybe the volcanoes will become active in 100-200 years.

Talk about trying to make a non-issue into an issue, and one that fits a preconceived idea that the earth is warming. What passes for research these days is an embarrassment to the scientific community.

HT - Hot Air

Labels: global warming????