Sea Ice Melt Advancing Faster Than Previously Thought
Arctic sea ice is melting even faster than last year, despite a cold winter. Data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) shows that the year began with ice covering a larger area than at the beginning of 2007. But now it is down to levels seen last June, at the beginning of a summer that broke records for sea ice loss. Scientists on the project say much of the ice is so thin as to melt easily, and the Arctic seas may be ice-free in summer within five to 10 years.
We had a bit more ice in the winter, although we were still way below the longterm average," said Julienne Stroeve from NSIDC in Boulder, Colorado. "So we had a partial recovery. But the real issue is that most of the pack ice has become really thin, and if we have a regular summer now, it can just melt away," she told BBC News. In March, Nasa reported that the area covered by sea ice was slightly larger than in 2007, but much of it consisted of thin floes that had formed during the previous winter. These are much less robust than thicker, less saline floes that have already survived for several years.
A few years ago, scientists were predicting that Arctic waters would be ice free in summers by about 2080. Then computer models started projecting earlier dates, around 2030 to 2050. Then came the 2007 summer that saw Arctic sea ice shrink to the smallest extent ever recorded, down to 4.2 million sq km from 7.8 million sq km in 1980. By the end of last year, one research group was forecasting ice free summers by 2013.
"I think we're going to beat last year's record melt, though I'd love to be wrong," said Dr Stroeve. "If we do, then I don't think 2013 is far off any more. If what we think is going to happen does happen, then it'll be within a decade anyway."
President Barack Obama announced he will be attending talks on climate change scheduled for early December in Copenhagen.
Read More
Global warming. glacial melt and polar ice sheets collapse are raising sea levels worldwide, leaving tens of millions of people in coastal areas and on Pacific islands vulnerable to flooding and other weather related catastrophes.
Read More
President Barack Obama stated he is serious about the US acting positively to combat climat change in a speach at the United Nations on Monday.
Read More
Climate change has warmed the Arctic Ocean opening the fabled Northeast Passage. Two German ships became the first to make the journey last week going from South Korea to Holland.
Read More
The arctic warming is having widespread effects not only in the arctic but all across the planet impacting birds, plants and seasons.
Read More