June Gloom and Doom: manifestations of the Heat of Fusion of Water

 Proposing a new blog: "Watching the Ice Melt."

In Environmental Science classes, a goal of mine has been to facilitate understanding of the dynamics of water phase changes.  I have portrayed polar ice masses as a buffer to mitigate the worst effects of imbalances in the hear budget of the planet.  It has been a few years (ie., "a minute") since I have taught Environmental Science.  In the meantime, it has become apparent that the predicted and feared growing imbalances are increasing; and at the same time, I have wondered whether my approach to teaching these important concepts were sufficiently impactful.  Ie., did students in my classes understand these important lessons.  

I have come recently to use the term "watching the ice melt" when responding to queried such as "what's happening?", or " what have you been up to?"  And, indeed, I have focused on this problem of many dimensions.  And, like many such "existential" problems, the psychological, social, historical, cultural ramifications pose some of the most difficult challenges to those who have tried to warn the world at large.

Here is present one article that caught my attention in late May 2023.  I intend to post other such articles and thoughts that appear before me in coming days.  Like a haiku, this statement withing this featured article says everything, in few words:

Scientists have said that an acceleration of melting Antarctic ice and rising temperatures, driven by the emission of planet-warming gases, is expected to have a significant effect on the global network of ocean currents that carry nutrients, oxygen and carbon

 The article appears on a web site, Phys.org:   

Dangerous slowing of Antarctic ocean circulation sooner than expected