Comments on: Arctic sea ice shrinks to new lows http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/ Exploring Science and the Environment Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:08:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: GLOBE Chief Scientist’s Blog » Blog Archive » Surface Temperature Field Campaign http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-387 GLOBE Chief Scientist’s Blog » Blog Archive » Surface Temperature Field Campaign Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:24:34 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-387 [...] This past September, the ice cover in the Arctic Ocean melted back further than had occurred since records were started. In this image, you can see the ice extent on August 21, 2007 and the median ice edge (red line) for that same date from the data records. (The “median value” is the middle value) The ice melt-back in the Arctic this past summer is striking. How would the lack of ice in the ocean change the temperature in the Arctic? An article about the ice can be found here. [...] [...] This past September, the ice cover in the Arctic Ocean melted back further than had occurred since records were started. In this image, you can see the ice extent on August 21, 2007 and the median ice edge (red line) for that same date from the data records. (The “median value” is the middle value) The ice melt-back in the Arctic this past summer is striking. How would the lack of ice in the ocean change the temperature in the Arctic? An article about the ice can be found here. [...]

]]> By: Dan Kulpinski http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-168 Dan Kulpinski Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:02:47 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-168 Thanks for the comments. As of Sept. 20, the National Snow and Ice Data Center is saying that the Arctic sea ice appears to have hit its minimum on Sept. 16. See http://nsidc.org/news/press/2007_seaiceminimum/20070810_index.html The ice this year shrank to an area 23 percent smaller than the previous record low in 2005. NSIDC will have a full report in early October, at which time I'll write a new post about their final data and conclusions. Regarding Antarctica, I did see this news report from Sept. 24 about how NASA scientists have documented that snow is melting farther inland and at higher altitudes. See this link, http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070924-13194600-bc-us-snowmelt.xml Thanks for the comments. As of Sept. 20, the National Snow and Ice Data Center is saying that the Arctic sea ice appears to have hit its minimum on Sept. 16. See http://nsidc.org/news/press/2007_seaiceminimum/20070810_index.html

The ice this year shrank to an area 23 percent smaller than the previous record low in 2005. NSIDC will have a full report in early October, at which time I’ll write a new post about their final data and conclusions.

Regarding Antarctica, I did see this news report from Sept. 24 about how NASA scientists have documented that snow is melting farther inland and at higher altitudes. See this link, http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070924-13194600-bc-us-snowmelt.xml

]]> By: inel http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-150 inel Fri, 21 Sep 2007 19:41:03 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-150 That sea ice extent continues to decrease per NSIDC news. I tried to send you the link earlier, but I was warned it was caught by your spam filter. (You might be able to find it.) Unfortunately, Antarctica has not done too well in recent years either, with NASA reporting yesterday "NASA Researchers Find Snowmelt in Antarctica Creeping Inland" using data collected from 1987 to 2006. That sea ice extent continues to decrease per NSIDC news. I tried to send you the link earlier, but I was warned it was caught by your spam filter. (You might be able to find it.)

Unfortunately, Antarctica has not done too well in recent years either, with NASA reporting yesterday “NASA Researchers Find Snowmelt in Antarctica Creeping Inland” using data collected from 1987 to 2006.

]]> By: CobblyWorlds http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-41 CobblyWorlds Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:30:49 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-41 I'm not a professional just an ex-sceptic who's now become a climate science reading hobbyist. (sorry for the date-format, I'm British) A better graph than that showing extent might be figure 3 of 28/8/07 (NSIDC's page is in date segments.) which compares sea ice concentration for 27/8/07 and 27/8/05. Also figure 4, an animated gif that charts the disappearance of old ice since 1982. The significance of old (or perennial) ice is that new ice is thinner and more easily broken up and rafted out by storms. Losing old ice means a structural weakening of the ice cap. What seems to have happened this year is a rapid intensification of the already observed pattern of a thinning and structural weakening of the ice cap. Now it looks as if although the reasons for the early record breaking low of 14/8/07 were coincidental (discussed by figure 5 of 14/8/07), their effect could actually impact coming years. Until the recent data I'd have not considered talk of an Arctic free of Summer ice by 2020 as realistic. We will of course have to see what happens next year, but there is now reason to expect next year to be as bad, or worse. This years record may be the start of a new trend, it cannot now be easily dismissed as "just a blip". I’m not a professional just an ex-sceptic who’s now become a climate science reading hobbyist. (sorry for the date-format, I’m British)

A better graph than that showing extent might be figure 3 of 28/8/07 (NSIDC’s page is in date segments.) which compares sea ice concentration for 27/8/07 and 27/8/05. Also figure 4, an animated gif that charts the disappearance of old ice since 1982.

The significance of old (or perennial) ice is that new ice is thinner and more easily broken up and rafted out by storms. Losing old ice means a structural weakening of the ice cap.

What seems to have happened this year is a rapid intensification of the already observed pattern of a thinning and structural weakening of the ice cap. Now it looks as if although the reasons for the early record breaking low of 14/8/07 were coincidental (discussed by figure 5 of 14/8/07), their effect could actually impact coming years.

Until the recent data I’d have not considered talk of an Arctic free of Summer ice by 2020 as realistic. We will of course have to see what happens next year, but there is now reason to expect next year to be as bad, or worse. This years record may be the start of a new trend, it cannot now be easily dismissed as “just a blip”.

]]> By: deborahbyrd http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-37 deborahbyrd Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:59:54 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-37 Dan, compelling story. I am still amazed that some people don't accept the fact of human-caused global warming. Why don't they, I wonder? Deborah Dan, compelling story. I am still amazed that some people don’t accept the fact of human-caused global warming. Why don’t they, I wonder?

Deborah

]]> By: nroberts http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-33 nroberts Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:34:24 +0000 http://blogs.earthsky.org/dankulpinski/2007/08/26/arctic-sea-ice-shrinks-to-new-lows/#comment-33 Wow, 2030 seems like the very near future to be completely out of sea ice (even in the summer). Wow, 2030 seems like the very near future to be completely out of sea ice (even in the summer).

]]>