Polar Opposites: Fox News And Science

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201202140012

February 14, 2012 6:04 pm ET by Shauna Theel

Once again, a scientist has had to correct a Fox News distortion after the network's flagship nightly news program misrepresented a study to claim "the Earth's polar ice is melting less than previously thought." Dr. John Wahr, who helped lead the research, said via email that Fox's coverage is "misleading" and "inaccurate."

The research from the University of Colorado Boulder - the "first comprehensive satellite study of the contribution of the world's melting glaciers and ice caps to global sea level rise" - found that the land ice shrunk by nearly 150 billion tons every year between 2003-2010 (mostly from Greenland and Antarctica), adding 12 millimeters to sea level rise.

While the study found that glaciers in the Himalayan region were melting less than ground-based estimates had indicated, Professor Wahr said "our estimate of polar ice loss is roughly the same as previous estimates," contrary to Fox News' report. Wahr observed that Fox seemed to believe that the Himalayas are located at the Earth's poles. They are not.