Friday, March 26, 2010

Vanishing Arctic and Vanished Island in Bangladesh

These shocking satellite images from the European Space Agency show how the Arctic summer ice pack has changed in just one year. The left image was taken in August 2005 - the right in August 2006. See the difference?
In both images, pink represents pack ice and the colour blue open water. Intermediate colours orange, yellow, and green indicate lower ice concentrations of 70%, 50% and 30%, respectively. In the 2006 image, the low concentration ice pack can seen by the high concentration of yellow, orange and green colours.


A tiny island at the centre of a territorial dispute between India and Bangladesh has disappeared beneath the waves due to rising sea levels and erosion, scientists say. The uninhabited outcrop -- called New Moore island by India and South Talpatti by Bangladesh -- was 3.5 kilometres (about two miles) long and 3.0 kilometres wide before it was swallowed up by the Bay of Bengal.
"There's no trace of the island anymore. After studying satellite images, I confirmed this from fishermen," Sugata Hazra, a professor from the School of Oceanographic Studies at Jadavpur University in Kolkata, told reporters.
Hazra said global warming and erosion were responsible for solving a point of contention in the sometimes fractious relations between India and Bangladesh, which both claimed the island.
"Climate change has obliterated the source of dispute," he said.

Hazra said temperatures in the region had been rising at an annual rate of 0.4 degrees Celsius (0.8 degrees Fahrenheit). In 1981, the Indian navy planted its national flag on the island, but no permanent settlement was established. The island, which is thought to have been created by a cyclone only about 40 years ago, sat in the Sundarbans mangrove delta in the mouth of the Hariabhanga River that divides India and Bangladesh. At its height, it was never more than two metres (about six feet) above sea level.

Hazra said a larger island, called Lohachara, disappeared in the Bay of Bengal in 1996 after 4,000 inhabitants had fled. At least five other islands in the region are also threatened, he said.
Bangladesh is one of the countries worst affected by climate change with some scientists predicting 20 million people will be displaced by 2050 because of rising sea levels.

So where are we going to put these people?? All you idiots at the climate change summit, (who solved nothing because of your oversized egos and undersized concern) have not volunteered to take these people in or any of the other millions who will be displaced in the next fifty or so years. You seem to think you have plenty of time to slow global warming. YOU DON'T !!

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous12:39:00 PM

    Hi PIC
    Hope you had a nice and quiet weekend with the Rock.
    Mine was nice til this morning, tried to post and Blogger is acting a fool. I guess they are updating or working on something.
    Wanted to post about dinosuars.
    I will keep trying maybe I'll get lucky.
    Started early this morning around 7:am my time it's now 12:45 pm.
    See you later when the sun go down....PIC

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