More of the Arctic ice photos kept secret by the Bush Administration
Almost two weeks ago, the Obama Administration declassified about 1,000 satellite photographs of Arctic ice the Bush Administration had kept under wraps. The photos didn’t make much of a splash until this morning, however, when two English newspapers, the Guardian and the Daily Mail, published this startling specimen:
But that’s just the beginning of a series of disturbing images anyone can view at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Global Fiducials Library. Here’s a six-year change in the Beaufort Sea:
And evidence of the retreat of the Bering Glacier:
The photographs were taken by spy satellites, then requested by scientists as part of a program that allows scientists to request classified photographs of environmentally sensitive areas. At the time, the Bush Administration released the photographs to the scientists but deemed them unsuitable for public release. Earlier this month, the National Academy of Sciences recommended the Obama Administration declassify the photos. The Interior Department released the photos to the public the same day, as reported July 16 by Reuters.
I’ll be sending copies of these to my Aunt Edna. I recommend you do the same.
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[...] I guess now we know why the Bush administration tried to keep these satellite photos of shrinking Ar…trueslant.com [...]
Wow.
Scary.
And not that surprising that Bush sat on these. I’m going to pass this around, would you like me to credit you for the find? I’ll let you know what my Aunt Edna’s say.
[...] but was released two weeks ago by his successor. There are more, nearly as dramatic, here. With the usual caveat that global warming is a macro-trend that is unfolding over the course of [...]
Its not just a sign that Bush denied the issue. He just brushed the evidence under the carpet until he was gone. Too much of a slacker to want to address yet another boring issue and add to his daily workload.
And anyway, all his buddies (who were actually Cheney’s buddies) in big business seemed eager for him to cover over so in Bush’s mind he nailed it. 2 birds with one stone. Less effort and “everybody’s” happy.
[...] http://trueslant.com/jeffmcmahon/2009/07/26/declassified-arctic-ice-photos/ [...]
Jeff,
I saw this story this morning on the Guardian website. The images are astonishing. Rendered in the bleak black and white, they take on ab even more serious tone. This is such a short amount of time we are talking about here, also. The majority of us do not live in areas where visible signs of receding ice can be seen, so it’s important for us to see it. Pictures of Mount Kilimanjaro’s vanishing snow-cap over time have the same effect, though many claim that one is not due to global warming. Thanks for covering this stuff.
[...] the second term of the Bush Administration, American spy satellites with a resolution of 1 meter took pictures of the Arctic region (among other places) that went on to show the dramatic reduction in Arctic sea ice in a multi-year [...]
Thanks, Nick. A few months ago, the Guardian also published photos of the changes in the Himalayas over 50 years–the gradual appearance of a lake where once there was ice.
Those photos are incredible as well. Thanks for sharing. Aside from these stories, what I am really interested in is the local perspective on these changes. A culture who is not tapped into the science jargon or the global warming might have their own mythological reasoning for the changes. Have you come across any of that kind of stuff in your research?
In response to another comment. See in context »Nick, that’s a great question to motivate an expedition. A lot of indigenous cultures are threatened by climate change and from what I’ve seen, they have a firmer handle on its causes than the Republican Party does. The New York Times published a story this weekend that includes something of a survey of that question.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] Would you like to see how devastating global warming is? Here are some spy satellite photos of retreating ice. [...]
[...] http://trueslant.com/jeffmcmahon/2009/07/26/declassified-arctic-ice-photos/ [...]
I’m not even sure if irrefutable evidence of global environmental disaster is enough to sway the Global Warming deniers or even relevant in that regard: Most, especially on the far fringes of the right, are pretty much preparing for the end anyway. Guess we should get in on the new hot beachfront Real Estate in Barrow, AK while it’s hot!
[...] following a declassification request by the National Academy of Sciences. These high-resolution spy photos of rapid sea ice loss off the northern coast of Alaska, kept classified by the Bush administration, show “the [...]
[...] Jeff McMahon – Scorched Earth – More of the Arctic ice photos kept secret by the Bush Ad… [...]
[...] following a declassification request by the National Academy of Sciences. These high-resolution spy photos of rapid sea ice loss off the northern coast of Alaska, kept classified by the Bush administration, show “the [...]
[...] following a declassification request by the National Academy of Sciences. These high-resolution spy photos of rapid sea ice loss off the northern coast of Alaska, kept classified by the Bush administration, show
[...] following a declassification request by the National Academy of Sciences. These high-resolution spy photos of rapid sea ice loss off the northern coast of Alaska, kept classified by the Bush administration, show “the [...]
[...] di link: – Beafur Sea (wikipedia) – thinkprogress.org/2009/07/27/secret-global-warming-photos/ – trueslant.com/jeffmcmahon/2009/07/26/declassified-arctic-… – [...]
[...] era de esperar em temas ecológicos, há questionamentos sobre a autenticidade das imagens, muitos blogs estão mostrando opiniões diversas, alegam-se teorias de conspiração e outras discussões [...]
This may be completely off the wall, but one of my first thoughts was, could this be the real reason Palin got out? She had to know about those areas that are in her state, Bering Glacier, Alaska. And she probably knew these photos were coming out soon. Well, the main thing is thanks for letting us know this even more startling than ever news about the deterioration of our planet. Another thought I have about this is that, evidently, there are many, many people who do not “believe” in global warming even though the hard evidence is staring them in the face. Many of these same people profess absolute, unquestioning faith to a supernatural, devine being, with their eyes closed to what the planet is showing them. . .and this could be a message from God!
[...] take a look for yourself at a few of these recently released images, and you’ll understand what they were trying to hide these past few years. I look forward to [...]
[...] More polar ice retreat images here. [...]
[...] aside, the photos that Jeff McMahon posted at True/Slant are kind of terrifying. Forget Global Warming, Global Cooling, whatever the hell you [...]
[...] It’s enough to make a community organizer, whose task is to organize the world community, lose his cool. Keep your eye on the Little Mermaid, Barack. Her waters are getting warm. [...]
[...] Jeff McMahon – Scorched Earth – More of the Arctic ice photos kept secret by the Bush Administrati… trueslant.com/jeffmcmahon/2009/07/26/declassified-arctic-ice-photos – view page – cached Scorched Earth » More of the Arctic ice photos kept secret by the Bush Administration Comments Feed Scorched Earth How Obama went green without going overboard Competitive Enterprise Institute: global warming no worry because people ‘adapt’ What makes a shark attack victim fight for sharks? Interview with a survivor — From the page [...]
[...] melting he predicts has become visibly evident, and though London and New York would seem to have a few years left, Washington D.C., Southern [...]
[...] stunning visual evidence of the decline of polar ice, some people refuse to believe it. Some point to a short-term increase [...]
[...] seen the before-and-after photos of disappearing polar ice, but Nature photographer James Balog fills in the dynamic melt-down in [...]
[...] economic collapse, but those poor folks couldn’t even dream of a horror like our melting ice caps. Theirs happened one decade. Ours, one [...]
[...] reckless disregard for the danger posed to America by global warming. You’ve seen the declassified photos, now read the declassified text [...]
[...] http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/climate/greenhouse_effect_gases.html http://trueslant.com/jeffmcmahon/2009/07/26/declassified-arctic-ice-photos/ [...]