|
_POSTED_BY admin
|
|
Thursday, 19 June 2008 |
New data from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) shows that artic ice is down to the levels seen in June 2007, an all time record year for ice loss. 2008 began with ice covering a larger area than at the beginning of 2007 and scientists are concerned that the thinness of the ice and the warming summers may result in faster ice loss than predicted and see ice free artic summers within 5 to 10 years .
Talking to the BBC , Julienne Stroeve from NSIDC in Boulder, Colorado said of this year's ice coverage : .
"We had a partial recovery. But the real issue is that most of the pack ice has become really thin, and if we have a regular summer now, it can just melt away,"
In March, Nasa reported that the area covered by sea ice was slightly larger than in 2007, but much of it consisted of thin floes that had formed during the previous winter. These are much less robust than thicker, less saline floes that have already survived for several years.
The first dire predictions were for ice-free Arctic summers by about 2080 but more recent computer models started forecasting ice free artic summers around 2030 to 2050. Then came the 2007 summer that saw Arctic sea ice shrink to the smallest extent ever recorded and by the end of 2007 one research group was forecasting ice-free summers by 2013.
"I think we're going to beat last year's record melt, though I'd love to be wrong," said Dr Stroeve.
"If we do, then I don't think 2013 is far off any more. If what we think is going to happen does happen, then it'll be within a decade anyway."
place your links here
hey it costs some to keep this site going so if you have a dollar or two to spare we would sure appreciate it. Click Here to DonatemfBeer Joomla! Plugin
|
|
Last Updated ( Friday, 04 July 2008 )
|
