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Arctic sea ice is shrinking at an alarming rate Aug.29.- This week scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre gave warning that Arctic sea ice has receded to its second-smallest area since satellite records began in 1979. The rate of shrinkage this year is the fastest ever and, with around a month still left of summer, the current ice coverage of 5.3m square km could fall to less than the record low seen last September of 4.1m square km. This is bad news for the environment: Arctic ice reflects sunlight, keeping the region cool, and polar bear populations are predicted to fall by a third over the next 50 years as the creatures' habitat disappears.  This illustration tells the story of this year’s sea ice eloquently. On the right is recent sea ice extent (on September 9, 2007, one of the lowest days of the melt season). On the left is an animation that shows a slide show of September sea ice extents (click on the illustration to see it), beginning with 1979 and ending with 2006. The animation shows two aspects of sea ice change: First, it shows that as the years unfold, the September sea ice is gradually dwindling. Second, it shows that even compared to the very lowest years on record, 2007 sea ice has visibly declined. The magenta line shows the median September monthly extent based on data from 1979 to 2000.  This figure is the updated time series of daily ice extent for 2007, which can be compared to the time series for 2005 and to the 1979 to 2000 average. Compared to conditions cited in our last entry on September 9 [2007], we have lost an additional 100,000 square kilometers (38,000 square miles) of ice ... [ Additional information ] [ Greenland Melting: The End of the End of the World ] |
