James Annan wrote:

> No GCM indicates a rapid collapse due to a CO2 increase, but note that
> they also don't (generally) include the effect of Greenland melting.
> However, AIUI you have to add an awful lot of melt water to get a rapid
> shutdown.

But, some models do show a slowing trend and usually are still on a
downward trend line at the end of the model simulation periods.

> Really I'm a bit surprised this dead horse is being flogged so hard -
> but I suppose having got NERC to cough up millions for the RAPID
> project, there would be too much egg on faces if people admitted it was
> already thoroughly debunked with years(?) still to run on the project.

I submit that the very sharp decline in sea-ice seen this year is not
a "dead horse".  The models didn't forecast it, so you are left with
the possibility that there are some real problems with the models.
Which implies that your model based conclusions are also incorrect.

Andy Revkin just wrote an article about this summer's decline, in
which
he references many of the well known experts in the study of sea-ice:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/science/earth/02arct.html

The article mentions the large outflow of sea-ice thru the Fram
Strait,
which will add considerable fresh water to the NA Sub Polar Gyre.
The cover picture shows a tongue of sea-ice folowing thru the Fram
Strait seen off the coast of Northeast Greenland.  That's happened
for much of the melt season.  That will surely have some impact on
the
THC in today's world.  If  the melting of sea-ice continues to result
in
further declines in extent, surely the outflow thru the Fram Strait
would
continue and increase.  Note that the outflow does not stop at the
end
of the melt season, but continues thru the winter months as well.

E. S.


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