Gretchen Allen 1110/4/13

Writing Assignment #1

The following article is reviewed for a middle school level science magazine:

Alley, R. B., Clark, P. U., Huybrechts, P., & Joughin, I. (2005). Ice-sheet and sea-level changes. Science,310, 456-460.

Ice-Sheet and Sea-Level Changes

What is an ice-sheet? An ice-sheet is any mass of glacier land ice that covers at least 20,000 square miles. Currently, on earth, there are two icesheets, the Greenland and the Antarctic. As
Our Ice-Sheets The Greenland ice-sheet covers 656,000 square miles, or about three times the size of Texas. The Antarctic ice-sheet covers 5.4 million square miles, or about the size of the United States and Mexico combined (NSIDC 2013)

growing. Their output is larger than their input.

Why does it matter if the ice-sheets melt? If the ice-sheets melt entirely, or melt faster than they grow, they will add water to the ocean and cause sea levels to rise. In 2010, 44% of the worlds population lived within 100 miles of a seacoast (Siiril,

conditions and seasons change these ice sheets ebb and flow, grow and melt. When scientists investigate these ice-

2010). If the sea level rises, water will come

up further on shore and could cause a lot of damage to people, the environment, homes, offices, schools and more (Thatcher, 2013). Ice-sheet melting could also directly affect the climate on a global scale by disrupting ocean currents. The ocean is made up of masses of
Climate: Is the average weather conditions over a period of years.

sheets, they look at ice sheet mass- balance, which is the difference between ice input and output. Ice input could be new snow, rain, or anything that adds to the ice-sheet and output includes melting, breaking off of ice, or anything that takes away from the ice-sheet. Recently the ice-sheets mass balances have been changing. Rising CO2 concentrations in our atmosphere are causing global temperatures to rise and in some places, rising temperatures are causing ice-sheets to melt faster than they are

water of different temperatures and densities that flow around the earth in large currents. These currents affect weather patterns. Icesheet melting would contribute a large mass of cold water rather quickly and could cause those ocean currents to change and therefore cause weather pattern changes.

Gretchen Allen 2210/4/13 Because ice-sheet melt could have such large impacts on so many people, its
Think About it: When ice that is on top of land melts, like the ice sheets, the ices volume is added to the ocean, causing sea-levels to rise. When ice that is floating in the water melts, like an ice berg or Arctic sea ice, does it also cause sea-level to rise? Hint: Think about density. CHECK IT OUT! Test your theory by melting an ice cube in a glass of water and watching the water level.

Writing Assignment #1

patterns, scientists develop an understanding of the relationship between ice-sheets and CO2 in the past and they can predict that in the future how they will affect each other in the same way.

important to try to understand whats going to happen. Scientists can make predictions by looking at what has happened in the past and making

How do models help scientists understand what is going on? Models can be really useful tools to help understand complex situations. They are also constantly changing as new information is learned about a particular topic. Ice-sheets cover a really large area, and a lot of factors can affect their melting and growth, so scientists rely on models for

models to better understand what is happening now.

Looking at the past can help scientists make predictions about the future. By examining evidence left behind in ice cores, rocks, fossils and many other places, scientists have reconstructed climate change in the past. What they have learned is that changes in CO2 in the past were connected with temperature changes, icemelt and sea-level changes. 21,000 years ago, the earth was much cooler and there was twice the amount of ice present right now. At the same time, CO2 levels were at their lowest point in recent history. The ice melt that occurred when the planet warmed up again altered ocean current and affected climate at the time. Looking at these

help. To make models about ice-sheet mass-balance, scientists collect data about ice input and output. To determine input, scientists can go to Greenland or Antarctica and take measurements in the field or look at atmospheric models that show information such as snowfall. To determine output they use other models that look at ice-melt. Researchers can also look at ice-sheets from aircraft or satellite and compare any changes they see over time. Older ice-sheet models looked at ice shelves and the inland-ice separately. Information about what happened at the boundaries, where the ice shelf and the

Gretchen Allen 3310/4/13 inland ice meet, had been limited until
Ice Sheet Anatomy The outer edge of an icesheet that meets in the ocean is called an ice shelf. The ice in the center, on top of land, is called inland ice.

Writing Assignment #1

gigatons per year. Meanwhile, the Antarctic Ice-Sheet is thickening on its eastern side and thinning on its western side, overall gaining ice at a rate of about 33 year gigatons per year. If global
Gigaton = a billion tons Gigatons? 1 Ton = 2,000 lbs (about the weight of a car or an elephant) Giga is a prefix that means billion

recently. New observations of the complex interactions at these boundaries could show that changes around these boundary areas could

cause ice to melt faster than previously thought. This could mean that older models underestimated how quickly ice-sheet melt may occur and how much sea level will rise as a result. So, whats going to happen? Right now, based on current models and new observations, scientists are
The 21st century ends on Dec. 31, 2100

temperatures were to increase by 3C melting, or output, will exceed snowfall accumulation, or input, on the Greenland Ice Sheet and its likely to melt entirely. This would cause the ocean to rise 7 meters in approximately 1000 years. However, because a large increase in freshwater could alter ocean currents and climate, the water that melts off of Greenland ice sheet could cause cooling in the region and slow down the rate of ice-sheet melt before it melted completely. These current predictions will continue to
7meters is about as tall as a 3 story building

estimating that sea levels will rise about 1/2 meter (1 feet) by the end of the 21 century. But given the complexities of ice-sheets, they
st

cant be 100% certain. One thing that is clear, the Greenland ice sheet is warmer and melting more quickly than the Antarctic Ice Sheet, which may actually be growing on one coast. In terms of ice-melt contributing to sea level rise the two ice-sheets could balance each other out over time. Current models and observations show that the Greenland icesheet is melting rapidly at a rate of 78

change, as scientists learn more about icesheets, create new and more accurate models, and learn more about current CO2 and temperature changes. But these predictions and models allow people to prepare for the future, one that may have less ice and higher sea-levels.

Gretchen Allen 4410/4/13

Writing Assignment #1

References Thatcher, C. A., Brock, J. C., & Pendleton, E. A. (2013). Economic Vulnerability to Sea-Level Rise along the Northern U.S. Gulf Coast. Journal Of Coastal Research, 234-243. doi:10.2112/SI63-017.1

Siiril, E. (2010, January 31). Un atlas: 44 percent of us live in coastal areas.. Retrieved from http://coastalchallenges.com/2010/01/31/un-atlas-60-of-us-live-in-thecoastal-areas/ Quick facts on ice sheets. (2013). Retrieved from http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/quickfacts/icesheets.html

Nice job on this Gretchen. This is a well-written, well organized, and informative overview of the Alley et al. article, and you have made good use of supporting references as well. I like your inclusion of information / facts boxes throughout the paper these are appropriate for your intended audience and make the document visually engaging. You could actually base follow-up activities on some of this information. Good work! V