Climate scientists say they have solved riddle of rising sea

[Judi Lynn]

Climate scientists say they have solved riddle of rising sea
By Agence France-Presse
Sunday, May 20, 2012 14:01 EDT

~snip~
In its landmark 2007 report, the UN’s Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ascribed 1.1mm (0.04 inches) per year to thermal expansion of the oceans — water expands when it is heated — and to meltwater from glaciers, icecaps and the Greenland and Antarctica icecaps.

That left 0.7mm (0.03 inches) per year unaccounted for, a mystery that left many scientists wondering if the data were correct or if there were some source that had eluded everyone.

In a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, a team led by Yadu Pokhrel of the University of Tokyo say the answer lies in water that is extracted from underground aquifers, rivers and lakes for human development but is never replenished.

The water eventually makes it to the ocean through rivers and evaporation in the soil, they note.
Groundwater extraction is the main component of additions that account for the mystery gap, according to their paper, which is based on computer modelling.

More:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/20/climate-scientists-say-they-have-solved-riddle-of-rising-sea/

[kristopher]

1. Holy Moly!!!

That brings the global water use issue in focus like nothing I've yet read.

K&R

[Gregorian]

2. Population.

Let's see what another billion looks like. Maybe things will improve with a billion or two more.

[jimlup]

3. That's actually good news

Because it means that it is directly proportional to population so even if we double or triple our current population there isn't much of a contribution to sea level rise. Not that the other sources (Greenland and antarctic melting) should then be dismissed.

[joshcryer]

4. Fascinating result.