The Age Of Warming

60 Minutes Goes To The Bottom Of The World And To The Top of A Glacier To See The Fastest Warming Place On Earth

(CBS)  This segment was originally broadcast on April 1, 2007. It was updated on Aug. 14, 2007.

If you were waiting for the day global warming would change the world, that day is here. It’s happening, far from civilization’s notice, in a place about as remote as you can get.

Scientists believed Antarctica, at the bottom of the world, was too vast, too remote, to be bothered by climate change any time soon. But now glaciers are setting speed records for melting and whole colonies of penguins are disappearing.

Why does it matter?

Antarctica is a climate giant, driving ocean and wind currents worldwide, with enormous potential to raise sea levels.

To find out what’s happening down south, 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley set out on an expedition; the first stop was the high mountains of Patagonia in Chile, where you can actually see a new age beginning.

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The glacier O’Higgins, a mass of ice, has been frozen for tens of thousands of years in the mountains of southern Chile.

O’Higgins is spectacular for its beauty, but for a scientist like Gino Casassa it’s breathtaking for the speed it is disappearing – the glacier is morphing into a lake, retreating more than any glacier in South America.

The location where Pelley interviewed Casassa was covered by ice a hundred years ago. "I think it’s a very clear picture that the world is getting warmer and that the impacts that were projected even 10 or 20 years ago are happening right now," Casassa explains.

The glacier has fallen back nine miles in 100 years, throwing off icebergs that roll, as they dissolve into the lake.

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Photos: Go behind-the-scenes with 60 Minutes in Chile and Antarctica

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Casassa took Pelley and the 60 Minutes team to the face of O’Higgins, carefully measuring their approach; the glacier is a dynamic thing, cracking, popping, and changing, as huge pieces break off.

Casassa is a glaciologist, who surprised 60 Minutes when he revealed what he used to think of global warming. "I just didn’t believe in global warming. I mean in global warming being produced by mankind, by us contaminating the atmosphere, I just refused to believe that," he explains.

He says, now, the evidence has convinced him. Pelley set out to find more evidence, as Casassa went to measure the height of O’Higgins. The 60 Minutes team climbed to a spot where Casassa had crossed from earth to ice in 2004. But now, in 2007, that spot was covered by water.

Much to his surprise, there was a thousand feet of water where he had walked three years ago. The group had to hike for hours to get to the ice. When they got there, they found it blackened by earth and volcanic ash. Casassa set up a receiver to measure the distance from the top of O’Higgins to satellites overhead.

He measures the distance to get a contour line at the top of the glacier. "As we walk, the receiver, which is in my backpack, is capturing data every one second," Casassa explains.

And the data showed Casassa that glacier O’Higgins has thinned 92 feet in seven years.

And it's not unique. More than 90 percent of the world’s glaciers are retreating. And if you’re looking for early trouble from climate change, this is it. Glacial runoff provides water for 1.5 billion people, mostly in South America, China and India.

"In the medium term, depending on the size of glacier…30 years, just a few decades, the glacier will start to waste away in such a degree that you will see the runoff the glacial melt coming from that glacier starting to decline," Casassa says.

Cities around the world, says Casassa, will be starved for water. And he says we now are seeing the first impacts.

60 Minutes wanted to see the evidence of warming nearer the bottom of the world. So Pelley and the team set sail from the last city south, Ushuaia, Argentina, on a two-day voyage to Antarctica.

It is more than 1,000 miles from glacier O’Higgins in Patagonia and across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic peninsula.

Here, 60 Minutes found there’s green where the white used to be; on the coast, in summer, there’s grass where the scientists used to ski. The area is called "Paradise Cove," and it is home to fur seals, lazy elephant seals and the Chinstrap penguin.

[tnollc]

Why let facts get in the way. The average temperture at the south pole is MINUS 49. Unless there has been a change in the melting point of ice - nothing will melt until the temperature is around freezing. For you at
CBS 60 minutes it is 32 degrees. The south pole is not melting!

[dmontaine1]

Thank you for re-airing the alert on global warming in the Southern Hemisphere. I have an idea I have been sending to potential investors to slow glacial melting that I would like to send to Scientist Gino Casassa for his input on how to make it more effective, and on how we might proceed. Basically, I propose we use reflective sailcloth to shield the ice and waters. I would appreciate very much information from you on how I could contact him or send him my thoughts.

Thank you for your inspiring program!

Sincerely,
Dot Montaine

[hellocbs]

As someone who spent a year at the South Pole Scott Pelley%u2019s praise of Gino Casassa was over rated when he said: He was so respected a mountain was named after him. When Antarctica was mapped the mountains were name after anyone who was there. I worked with a cook and communication person who had a mountain named for them

[drwhite48]

I tell you what, let''s shut the whole thing down. All industry, power production, etc. No more warming. No more food, no more CBS, no more going to see Grandma in the family car, nothing. You eat what you grow or catch. Cuts down on stray dogs don''t it. No grocery stores.
Sounds a bit like the stone age. If that''s where the liberals want to go, well, Gore might just talk them into it.

[drwhite48]

I agree with almost all the comments. There was no mention of the fact that the main ice in Antarctica is "thickening" significantly. It seems that even though some warming may be happening, earth is compensating by increasing snows in antarctica so the net effect of sea level rise is near zero. Why don''t you guys show all sides of a question? That''s why I normally watch Fox news.

[extremophil]

Only one answer to this problem: Penguin burgers.

[Terry Mooney]

I watched with great interest your story about the Antarctic warming phenomenon and specifically the conclusion drawn that human activity since the Industrial Revolution is the main contributor to the problem.
A few weeks ago, I had a dream that I wwas receiving a voice-mail and it was from the Chief Economist of the Universe. The subject was global warming and a solution to the problem was offered.Being a musician, I composed a song which I think captures the message. I''m wondering if you are interested in hearing the song?

[smabo]

Something new under the sun?

Interesting climate changes have been occurring since time immemorial.
If climate change is deemed to be such an alarming problem, than why have not the seas risen even an infinitesimal amount in our recent industrial era history?
Certainly we should all be concerned about our environment; but the waters are being murkified and methinks the largest supplier of %u2018warming%u2019 is the hollow hot air emanating from profiteering pundits from each side of the issue.

http://hotairorrealconcern.blogspot.com/

[johnsmith511]

Thank you for the story, Global Warming/Climate Control.

The stories objectivity was wonderfully shown. That''s right, there''s only one side to global warming, now changed to "climate change".

Why the name change? It''s hard to talk about "Global Warming" when it snows in areas with global warming demonstrations (LOL).

Now that 60 Minutes has told the story from ONLY one side, let''s hear from the other side, those scientists who do not believe in the Global Warming Theory.

When the weather men start predicting the future weather patterns, correctly, then maybe we can look into "your science" into global warming.

Please let me know the airing of the other side.

Drinking the Kool-Aid

Be Good

[silver9991]

astro2111 - kudos to you for being able to go out and do your own research!