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To compare & contrast, this is what the IPCC's summary for policy makers says on the topic:
Mountain glaciers and snow cover have declined on average in both hemispheres. Widespread decreases in glaciers and ice caps have contributed to sea level rise (ice caps do not include contributions from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets)

New data since the TAR now show that losses from the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica have very likely contributed to sea level rise over 1993 to 2003 (see Table SPM-1). Flow speed has increased for some Greenland and Antarctic outlet glaciers, which drain ice from the interior of the ice sheets. The corresponding increased ice sheet mass loss has often followed thinning, reduction or loss of ice shelves or loss of floating glacier tongues. Such dynamical ice loss is sufficient to explain most of the Antarctic net mass loss and approximately half of the Greenland net mass loss. The remainder of the ice loss from Greenland has occurred because losses due to melting have exceeded accumulation due to snowfall.


I see no 'mismatch' here. The report clearly states that glaciers are retreating 'on average' and notes the relative balance between the melting of ice and increased precipitation in Antartica and Greenland. Clearly, the glaciers on the Antartic peninsula are also retreating on average.

A map of the peninsula can be found here. Note that the 300 glaciers represented in the study are all 'case studies' that do not necessarily represent more than a sample of the total glacier area (the question by Pielke Sr. about the significance of the loss in the context of the total glacier area would otherwise probably have to be answered with 'miniscule').

by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Mon Feb 12th, 2007 at 02:11:36 PM EST
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