meetings meetings meetings [updated]

two so far, more to do away from the computer for the rest of the day...But the meetings have been fun and informative. No posts for the day, though, I'm afraid. Tomorrow I'll be back. [that was yesterday]

In the mean time, click around these images showing the antarctic ice shelf. Then meditate on the following paragraph:

The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment, completed in 2001, predicted the Antarctic ice sheet would gain mass in the 21st century due to increased precipitation in a warming climate. But the new study signals a reduction in the continent's total ice mass, with the bulk of loss occurring in the West Antarctic ice sheet, said Velicogna.
--Antarctic ice sheet losing mass

And try to guess what ExxonMobil TCSdaily will have to say about that. My guess is "cooling in the 70s, warming in the 90's, gimme a break! Science sucks!'"


UPDATE: The study hit the press today: NY Times and Washington Post. The latter quoted an ExxonMobil TCSdaily contributor:

But some scientists remain unconvinced. Oregon state climatologist George Taylor noted that sea ice in some areas of Antarctica is expanding and part of the region is getting colder, despite computer models that would predict otherwise.

"The Antarctic is really a puzzle," said Taylor, who writes for the Web site TSCDaily, which is partly financed by fossil fuel companies that oppose curbs on greenhouse gases linked to climate change. "A lot more research is needed to understand the degree of climate and ice trends in and around the Antarctic."

Though nothing's appeared on any of the usual suspects (TCS, Townhall, etc.), I'm guessing that means they're going to recycle the Greenland excuse, which sounds more like "increase here, decrease there, gimme a break! Science is too political and therefore it sucks." Fun little game to pass the time, though.