[Blitzer:] There's some potentially very significant news about Greenland's glaciers and rising sea levels. Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras joining us now live from the CNN Weather Center with this story. What are we learning, Jacqui?
[Jacqui Jeras, Cnn Meteorologist:] Well, some new information, based on a very comprehensive study here, Wolf, some of which is based on satellite information and data, very similar to what you see us use right here in the CNN Weather Center. And what those satellites are finding, that the amount of ice from the glaciers is being dumped into the ocean at an increasing rate.
[Jeras:] It may be called Greenland, but much of the world's largest island is actually white. More than 80 percent of it is covered with ice. And, according to a new study, more and more of that ice is winding up in the Atlantic.
[Eric Rignot, Jet Propulsion Laboratory:] The most direct impact this evolution of Green has is on sea level rise.
[Jeras:] Rignot and his partners studied the flow of Greenland's glaciers over 10 years. They say it has increased, especially in the southeastern part of the country. And as the glaciers flow faster, they dump more of their ice into the ocean.
[Rignot:] Glaciers are speeding up as a result of climate warming. This is especially true in eastern part of Greenland, where there's been a pronounced warming of air temperatures in the last 20 years.
[Jeras:] The study says that's resulted in the rate of which Greenland's glaciers are losing mass doubling between 1996 and 2005. And they say that trend means Greenland will be a bigger factor in rising sea levels than previously thought, possibly becoming responsible for as much as 17 percent of the annual increase, now about one-tenth of an inch per year. But not everyone agrees. Pat Michaels of the Cato Institute says the study ignored other critical research that Greenland's glaciers are actually growing.
[Pat Michaels, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute:] When you average over Greenland, over the huge land area, you see a net gain in ice. That's water that's being taken out of the atmosphere and not going into the ocean. Certainly, the sea level rise is being muted by the increasing ice in Greenland.
[Jeras:] And the reason why all of this important to you at home is, as all that freshwater moves into the ocean, that can affect the salinity, or the amount of salt in the water, and can change the circulation of the oceans. That, in turn, will affect the atmospheric circulation, Wolf, which means it can change weather patterns across the globe Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Jacqui, thank you very much Jacqui Jeras reporting for us. Zain Verjee is off today Fredricka Whitfield once again joining us from the CNN Center. Hi, Fred.
[Whitfield:] Hello again, Wolf. New York Governor George Pataki is said to be resting well, after overnight surgery to remove his appendix. He checked in to a Westchester hospital after complaining of abdominal pain. Doctors say he's expected to stay in the hospital for a couple of days and make a full recovery. State and federal mine safety officials are investigating the cause a fatal roof collapse at a Kentucky coal mine this morning. Thirty-three-year-old Tim Caudill was killed by falling rock and debris while working underground near the town of Hazard. He's the 20th mine worker to be killed on the job in the U.S. this year. And opening statements today in the trial of a California man accused of training with al Qaeda. Prosecutors say Hamid Hayat attended terror training camps in Pakistan, then returned to the United States to await word on when and where to attack. But the defense says the 23-year-old Hayat is simply a directionless young man who is prone to wild storytelling Wolf.
[Blitzer:] Thanks very much, Fred. It may be a highly sought-after job for would-be terrorists, a job with al Qaeda. A new documents details just what kind of applicants the terror group wants. We're not making this up. Here with some details, our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. Barbara, what's going on here?
[Barbara Starr, Cnn Pentagon Correspondent:] Well, Wolf, it may seem a little bizarre, but, apparently, al Qaeda has employment qualifications.
[Starr:] So, what does it take to be an employee of al Qaeda? The U.S. Military Academy at West Point has just released documents offering extraordinary details to answer that question. Military officials tell CNN, they were chilled when they read a document known as the al Qaeda employment contract, which they strongly believe to be authentic. It was seized after 911 in the home of an al Qaeda operative in Kandahar, Afghanistan. There is an al Qaeda vacation policy. Married members get seven days of vacation every three weeks. Bachelors get five vacation days every month. Requests for vacation travel must be submitted two-and-a-half months in advance. Monthly salaries are spelled out 6,500 Pakistani rupees, about $108, if you are married 1,000 rupees, about $17, for bachelors an extra 700 rupees per wife if you have more than one. The contract requires al Qaeda members to exercise and stay healthy. But they also get 15 days sick leave a year. The document is one of dozens the Special Operations Command asked West Point to analyze. The idea was to develop a better understanding of the al Qaeda network in their own words. And the contract requires, of course, total loyalty, secrecy and adherence to jihad. So, Wolf, what does this document tell us? Well, it tells us that, four years ago, at least, al Qaeda was a highly organized business. Now, no one can be quite sure what they're up to Wolf.
[Blitzer:] What a story, Barbara. Thank you very much for bringing it to us and to our viewers. Jack Cafferty was listening, and he was watching that story as well. What do you make of that employee contract that al Qaeda has for its...
[Cafferty:] Pretty...
[Blitzer:] ... terrorists?
[Cafferty:] Pretty scary stuff, isn't it? I mean, they were organized enough to have a document in place like that. They had obviously, you know, gone through, figured out the amount of time off their membership needed in order for the organization to still be effective. I mean, it's just scary.
[Blitzer:] Yes.
[Cafferty:] Let's hope they're not that well organized now. Vice President Cheney says an executive order gives him the authority to declassify secret documents. Despite insisting he has the authority, Cheney will not say if he authorized his former chief of staff, Scooter Libby, to release classified information. The question is, who do you think should be able to declassify secret information in this country? Here's some of what you have written. Mark in Colorado Springs writes: "The instructions are pretty clear. It's in the hands of the executive branch of the government and the military. Last I checked, the vice president is part of the executive branch. What an incredibly lame and politically charged question.: Martin writes, "Having worked with classified material for a while, I believe that only the originator of the that material has the knowledge necessary to declassify it." Linda in Sierra Vista, Arizona: "Senate and House Intelligence Committees, both must approve declassification, or no dice." Duane in Greenville, Pennsylvania: "Information should be declassified by a nonpartisan committee made up of experts in why information is classified to begin with. It should certainly not be decided by executive fiat." Elmer, retired U.S. Naval personnel, writes in Florida: "Anybody who spent any time in the military around this stuff knows that the rule is that the classifying agency has to clear the declassification of the information or subject. So the question should be, did the classifying agency clear the declassification prior to its release?" And Jim in Mocksville, North Carolina, writes: "The answer to this question is classified. If I told you, Jack..." "... the terrorists might hear. For the safety of the American people, they need to remain completely ignorant."
[Blitzer:] Thank you, Jack. See you in one hour.
[Cafferty:] Yes.
[Blitzer:] .... back here in
[The Situation Room. Cafferty:] OK.
[Blitzer:] Just ahead, a modern-day gold rush in Italy. And, in our 7:00 p.m. Eastern hour, we're learning more of the details surrounding the vice president's hunting accident. But what questions remain unanswered? Brian Todd has been keeping track. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.