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Arctic ice hits lowest record for June
Jeremy Hance
July 14, 2010



In June the average sea ice extent in the Arctic was the lowest on record for that month, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Measured by satellites, the seasonal movements of Arctic ice have been tracked since 1979 with a dramatic decline observed over the last 30 years. This decline is linked by experts to climate change.

In June the ice extent averaged 10.87 million square kilometers, down 1.29 square kilometers from the 1979-2000 average. High temperatures in the Arctic are at least in part to blame for the ice loss, which was also the fastest seen in any June.

Researchers with NSIDC say that ice loss may not continue at the rapid rate seen in June, because the melt will soon encounter thicker ice sheets in the central Arctic Ocean. The Arctic sea ice reaches its lowest point in September. The record for the lowest Arctic sea ice extent was measured in September of 2007 at 4.14 million square kilometers. Ice cover recovered slightly in 2008 and 2009 from the 2007 nadir but did not return to ice extents measured prior to 2007. In fact, 2008 and 2009 were second and third in terms of ice loss respectively.

Arctic sea ice is vital for the global climate. Reflecting sunlight, the sea ice keeps the Arctic cool and impacts global weather systems.

The last decade, 2000-2009, was the warmest on record with measurements taken since 1880. In addition, researchers say this year is tracking to be among the warmest years yet.







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'Very dramatic' changes in Greenland: ice loss spreads north

(03/28/2010) Over the past ten years scientists have measured increasing ice loss along southern Greenland. Now a new study in Geophysical Research Letters shows that the ice loss has spread north with likely consequences for global sea level rise.


NASA: Arctic melt season lengthening

(02/03/2010) Newly released images from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center show that the Arctic's melt season has lengthened significantly over the past few decades.


NASA: 2009 second warmest year on record

(01/24/2010) According to NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), last year was tied for the second warmest year on record after 2005, the warmest year on record. If just looking at the southern hemisphere, however, 2009 proved the warmest yet recorded since record-taking began in 1880. Overall 2009 tied a total of five other years—four from the 2000s—for the second warmest on record. But, researchers say what is most important was that the past decade, from January 1st 2000 to December 31st 2009, proved the warmest on record.






CITATION:
Jeremy Hance (July 14, 2010). Arctic ice hits lowest record for June. http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0714-hance_arctic_ice.html


Tags:
arctic sea ice climate change climate science temperatures Greenland-Arctic jeremy hance green environment Satellite Imagery

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