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Arctic sea ice levels fall mongabay.com October 4, 2006 Arctic sea ice fell to the fourth lowest level on record according to researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder. CU-Boulder Research Professor Mark Serreze of the National Snow and Ice Data Center Sea said that sea ice is declining at about 8.6 percent per decade, or at about 23 million square miles per year. Serreze said that this year would have likely been a record had it not been for cool August temperatures.
In 2005 Arctic the extent of Arctic sea ice was 20 percent lower than the average ice extent from 1978 to 2001, or about 500,000 square-miles less than normal. "At this rate, the Arctic Ocean will have no ice in September by the year 2060," said CU-Boulder researcher Julienne Stroeve. "The loss of summer sea ice does not bode well for species like the polar bear, which depend on the ice for their livelihood." The researchers said that the 2006 season was characterized by a large area of open water -- called a polynya -- that formed north of Alaska. The ice-free area was larger in area than Britain and theoretically would have allowed a ship to pass from Northern Siberia to the North Pole without much difficulty. No one is certain was triggered the formation of the polynya but warming temperatures and thinning sea ice could make them more common in the future. "Melting ice means more of the dark ocean is exposed, allowing it to absorb more of the sun's energy, further increasing air temperatures, ocean temperatures, and ice melt," said CU-Boulder scientist Ted Scambos. "It seems that this feedback, which is a major reason for the pronounced effects of greenhouse warming in the arctic, is really starting to kick in." Related articles Arctic ice hole larger than Britain forms, shocks scientists. Satellite images acquired from 23 to 25 August 2006 have shown for the first time dramatic openings — over a geographic extent larger than the size of the British Isles — in the Arctic's perennial sea ice pack north of Svalbard, and extending into the Russian Arctic all the way to the North Pole. Arctic ice melting rapidly, polar bears suffering - new research. New research shows that Arctic sea ice is rapidly disappearing. Scientists say that the human-induced buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is a leading culprit behind the decline. According to a study to be published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters this month, the maximum amount of sea ice in the Arctic winter has fallen by six percent over each of the last two winters, while summer sea ice continues to retreat at an average of ten percent per decade. This article is based on a news release from the University of Colorado at Boulder. . Recommend this article? Comments? >Digg this article | >Hugg this article | Contact News options
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