ROTARY HOSTS TALK ON MELTING GLACIERS.
Geologist Denis St-Onge spoke about melting glaciers at a recent Rotary Club of West Ottawa meeting on Jan. 31.
Photo by Kristy Wallace
Science is about finding the best possible explanations for facts, according to Denis St-Onge.
The geologist, who has been a research scientist with the geological survey and has held teaching positions at the University of Ottawa, was recently the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of West Ottawa’s weekly lunch, and he spoke about melting glaciers in the north.
“I can show you the facts and you can make up your mind if you accept the current theory of global warming,” St-Onge said. “In science, there’s no such word as believe. You don’t believe in something in science. I can show you the facts and you can make up your mind if you accept the current theory of global warming.”
He explained to the audience how glaciers are made, and how North America was once practically covered with ice
He showed those gathered debris from the Devon Island glacier in the northwest passage. That debris, which is left behind as glaciers erode, is evidence that the glacier is melting.
“Glaciers have no reverse, and they cannot grow back,” St-Onge said. “Think of it as a pencil in a pencil sharpener.”
He also explained that glaciers have been eroding since 1900, and the evidence shows in places like Greenland.
“We must accept that glaciers are melting,” he said.
St-Onge also talked about icebergs and how they are melting at a fast pace. He showed digital images of Greenland, and compared ice coverage between 1992 and 2002.
He added that on a cruise with his wife in 1998 from Resolute to Baffin Island and Greenland, he saw how ice coverage has changed.
“We didn’t see a single piece of ice. Nothing,” he said. “You could have been in the Mediterranean or Caribbean, and it didn’t matter.”
While he said sea ice varies from year to year, there’s no question that it’s decreased since the 1900s.
“The most current estimate is that by about 2020, there will be no sea ice in the Arctic in the summer,” St-Onge said. “There is a warming going on, whether it’s through humans or not, and it needs to be addressed.”
For more information on the Rotary Club of West Ottawa and upcoming speakers and events, visit their website at: http://www.rcwo.org/ .