"Global surface area of rivers and streams is 45 percent " Topic

….higher than previously thought

"Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Texas A&M University used satellite images, on-the-ground measurements and a statistical model to determine how much of the earth is covered by rivers and streams. They found that global river and stream surface area is about 45 percent greater than what was indicated by previous studies.

Rivers and streams are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, so the significantly higher river and stream surface area calculation has important implications for understanding carbon emissions…."
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Amicalement
Armand

So we need to get rid of the water and the humans?

Didn't all that start with the end of the last Ice Age?

We should have put a stop to it then. Bad cavemen, bad. :)

Dan

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

"higher than previously thought"

That's the closest we'll ever come to hearing them admit that they were wrong, and that the predictions are just guesses.

Dan

Blame it on the Doggerlandians. They alwasy mess-up the WAG's.

Dave

That's right. They started this, even before they ever came into the picture. :)

Dan
TMP link

"higher than previously thought"

That's the closest we'll ever come to hearing them admit that they were wrong, and that the predictions are just guesses.

After reading the article, I'm not sure exactly what you are getting at Dan.

Science is always developing new research methods that provide better, more accurate data than was previously possible. Sometimes the new findings reinforce previous research, such as with climate change.

Sometimes the new findings suggest or prove that what was previously considered to be the case, is not. In these cases there is often an acceptance and admission of error or miscalculation. For example, there is the case of climate change denier Richard Muller (see the link below). The heading of the article says it all, Prominent climate change denier now admits he was wrong

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There you are. Plenty of scientists admit they were wrong, or on that they were headed down the wrong path. You just have to read a bit about science to find out about them.

Dan

Almost all living things respire. Even plants and trees. Respiring organisms all give up CO2. All living things that digest food in some manner also give up methane. We do both. Rivers, streams, and lakes all have these living things living within them, so all bodies of water give off greenhouse gases.

Water is also a solvent for both gases. The waters of the US (and elsewhere) have been heating up as they have been studied for decades. Warmer water increases the amount of dissolved gases that the water can carry. Here is an example:

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So the amount of "outgassing" is greater than once thought. How does that make them wrong about global warming? The estimates (or hypotheses) are based on current data. That's not the same as guessing!

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As Mandt2 says, scientists admit to being wrong all the time. Maybe you just pay attention when it affects a pre-existing confirmation bias. If astronomers indicate that Callisto now holds more water than previously thought, is that an indictment against them? Plus, these scientists aren't the dreaded evil climate scientists. They seem to be hydrologists and limnologists. But it seems consilience is rearing it's head again.

Thanks!.

Amicalement
Armand