Yes, and it's all their fault.
Posted on 12/12/2006 8:13:39 AM PST by cogitator
The worrying shrinkage of Arctic sea ice could accelerate dramatically in coming decades, leaving the planet's most northerly ocean virtually devoid of ice in summer by 2040, according to a study published on Tuesday.
The paper, which appeared in the US journal Geophysical Research Letters, mainly points the finger at greenhouse-gas emissions.
It warned that if carbon pollution continues to increase at present rates, the Arctic's normal cycle of freezing and thawing faces catastrophic disruption.
A simulation run by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Canada's McGill University predicted that the area covered by ice in September -- before new ice begins to form each year -- could shrink from about 5.9 million square kilometres to 1.9 million sq. kms. (2.3 million to 770,000 sq. miles) within a decade.
By 2040, "only a small amount of perennial sea ice" would remain along the north coasts of Greenland and Canada in summer, NCAR said in a press release.
In winter, ice thickness would be reduced from about 3.5 metres (about 12 feet) to less than a metre (three feet).
"We have already witnessed major losses in sea ice, but our research suggests that the decrease over the next few decades could be far more dramatic than anything that has happened so far," said NCAR scientist and lead author of the study, Marika Holland.
Greenhouse gases trap the Sun's heat, gradually forcing up Earth's surface temperature.
But several peripheral factors could also account for such a rapid meltdown.
Open water absorbs more sunlight than ice, accelerating the rate of warming and leading to more ice loss. In addition, global climate change is likely to drive warmer ocean currents into the Arctic region.
"This is a positive feedback loop with dramatic implications for the entire Arctic region," Holland said.
The shrinkage of the Arctic ice cap is viewed with alarm by scientists, as it appears to perturb important ocean currents elsewhere, notably the Gulf Stream, which gives western Europe its balmy climate.
It also threatens animals such as polar bears and seals that depend on ice -- as well as Inuits and other native peoples who hunt these animals and have to travel on thinner ice in this quest.
There are geopolitical implications, too, as Canada, Russia and the United States jockey to claim rights over transpolar passages that open up within their newly ice-free waters.
In September, European scientists unveiled satellite images from late August showing that perennial sea ice -- thick ice that is normally present year-round and is not affected by the Arctic summer -- had disappeared over an area bigger than the British Isles.
The study released Tuesday concludes that reduced rates of greenhouse gas emissions could slow the ice loss. "Our research indicates that society can still minimize the impacts on Artic ice," Holland said.
Given that there has been a clearly observed trend of sea ice loss (perennial ice cover), if there is a sudden stabilization or reversal, there would have to be some serious reconsiderations. Count me as stunned if the trend stabilizes or reverses.
And when these doom stories fade away will you still be claiming it is not? No one is denying there has been some warming. It is the doomsday crap that is passed off as 'science' that people with a brain object to.
The climate at each pole does operate differently. As an example, though there is a bit of reduction of ozone in the stratosphere over the Arctic in winter and early spring, there is on giant ozone-eating hole. In fact, cooler temperatures over the central Antarctic are partly attributed to the loss of stratospheric ozone over it during the winter.
"Waiting on the birth of some Alaskan orange groves."
I think it'll be awhile yet, because I live in Florida, and I still have to cover my citrus trees sometimes in winter.
If we continue to worry about global warming instead of Iran with nukes, warming of any kind will be irrelevent. We will have already been "warmed".
Yes, and it's all their fault.
If the "doom stories" fade away, I'll stop posting them... and I will be very much surprised.
As even some of the other posts on this thread indicate, it is clear that the Earth is warming. While the contribution of human activity has not been fully quantified, this aspect of the science is improving, and it can be qualitatively said with authority that the human contribution to the currently observed climate trends is not negligible. So anthropogenic global warming is not a hoax, as Inhofe has repeatedly claimed. I know he's wrong. The question of concern is the path of warming in the future; merely noticeable, somewhat annoying, disruptive, or catastrophic.
What about antarctic sea ice?
It's also a remarkably effective fund-raising tool and red-meat fear tactic to unify the liberal sheeple as elections or big legislative decisions near.
The ice is melting and it could get worse, but the enviroleftists can save the world if you do exactly what they say.
No, they won't; they will go back to the global cooling mantra of the 70's and want to nuke the polar ice caps or paint them black or dump soot on them to heat them and force them to melt.....just like in '75
I agree we do have Global Warming but it has nothing to do with human influence.
Scientist are just understanding the influence of the *Sun* on earth, does the Susnpot Theory have influence? well right now we are at a minimum which in the past scientists thought might have played a part in the Little Ice Age, the maximum sunspot cycle will be in 2011 2012 which they say will have a cataclysmic effect on earth...
worrying
accelerate dramatically
virtually devoid
points the finger
warned
catastrophic disruption
major losses
far more dramatic
forcing up Earth's surface temperature
viewed with alarm
perturb important ocean currents
threatens animals
disappeared
Read State of Fear by Michael Crichton. The important thing isn't the issue of global warming - it's the blatant fearmongering by the government, aided and abetted by the press. No reasonable news article should contain the kind of histrionics I gleaned from the article.
IBBF
Are these the same people who failed to accurately predict the number of hurricanes and tropical storms during this past hurricane season because they failed to accurately predict the emergence of El Nino? I thought so. And now they want us to believe their predictions for the year 2040. No thank you.
No, he claims castrophic global warming is a hoax. Big difference.
I read in an article earlier today that, if things go on as they are, we will be able to send cruise ships up over the North Pole; wondering if a cruise ship will accelerate like a roller coaster as it gets over the North Pole and heads south?
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