Originally Posted by WarChild

Just finished reading "State of Fear" by Michael Crichton. It's fiction, but Crichton did quite a bit of research in to the science that forms the background of the story.

In any case, some facts (references available) that you might not know:

From 1986 to 2000 central Antarctic valleys cooled .7 degrees C per decade with serious ecosystem damage from the cold.

Both satellite data and ground stations show slight cooling over the last 20 years.

Side-looking radar measurements show West Antarctic ice is increasting at 26.8 gagatons/yr. Reversing the melting trend of the last 6000 years.

Antarctic peninsula has warmed several degrees while interior has cooled somewhat. Ice shelves have retreated but sea ice has increase.

During the last four interglacials, going back 420,000 years, the Earth was warmer than it is today.

Less Antarctic ice has melted today than occured during the last interglacial.

Antarctic sea ice has increased since 1979.

The greater part of Antarctica experiences a longer sea-ice season, lasting 21 days longer than it did in 1979.