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| Scientists say the Times Atlas map (left) does not follow the ice extent line as viewed from space (right) |
BBC NEWS/Leading UK polar
scientists say the Times Atlas of the World was wrong to assert that it has had
to re-draw its map of Greenland due to climate change.
Publicity for the
latest edition of the atlas, launched last week, said warming had turned 15% of
Greenland's former ice-covered land "green and ice-free".
But scientists from
the Scott Polar Research Institute say the figures are wrong; the ice has not
shrunk so much.
The Atlas costs £150
($237) and claims to be the world's "most authoritative".
The break-up of some
Antarctic ice shelves due to climate change, the shrinking of inland waters
such as the Dead and Aral Seas, and the drying up of rivers such as the
Colorado River are all documented.
But the glossy
publicity sheets begin with the contention that "for the first time, the
new edition of the (atlas) has had to erase 15% of Greenland's once permanent
ice cover - turning an area the size of the United Kingdom and Ireland 'green'
and ice-free.
"This is
concrete evidence of how climate change is altering the face of the planet
forever - and doing so at an alarming and accelerating rate."
The Scott Polar
group, which includes director Julian Dowdeswell, says the claim of a 15% loss
in just 12 years is wrong.
"Recent
satellite images of Greenland make it clear that there are in fact still
numerous glaciers and permanent ice cover where the new Times Atlas shows
ice-free conditions and the emergence of new lands," they say in a letter
that has been sent to the Times.
"We do not know
why this error has occurred, but it is regrettable that the claimed drastic
reduction in the extent of ice in Greenland has created headline news around
the world.
"There is to
our knowledge no support for this claim in the published scientific
literature."
Many of the
institute's staff are intimately involved in research that documents and
analyses the impacts of climate change across the Arctic.
As such, they back
the contention that rising temperatures are cutting ice cover across the
region, including along the fringes of Greenland; but not anything like as fast
as the Times Atlas claimed.
"It is...
crucial to report climate change and its impact accurately and to back bold
statements with concrete and correct evidence," they say.
The Times Atlas is
not owned by The Times newspaper. It is published by Times Books, an imprint of
HarperCollins, which is in turn owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.
A spokesperson for
HarperCollins said its new map was based on information provided by the US
National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
"While global
warming has played a role in this reduction, it is also as a result of the much
more accurate data and in-depth research that is now available," she said.
"Read as a
whole, both the press release and the 13th edition of the Atlas make this
clear."
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