Earth’s Air Conditioner Is Melting – Record Low Arctic Ice
The drastic melting of Arctic sea ice has finally ended for the year, scientists announced, but not before demolishing the previous record — and setting off new warnings about the rapid pace of change in the region, reports Justin Gill at the New York Times. The apparent low point for 2012 was reached recently, said the National Snow and Ice Data Center, adding that sea ice that day covered about 24 percent of the surface of the Arctic Ocean. The previous low, set in 2007, was 29 percent. When satellite tracking began in the late 1970s, sea ice at its lowest point in the summer typically covered about half the Arctic Ocean, but it has been declining in fits and starts over the decades. “The Arctic is the earth’s air-conditioner. We’re losing that.” said Walt Meier, a federal snow and ice research scientist. Refering to this summer’s extreme weather, he noted on the PBS Newshour that the loss of this ice will further disrupt climate in the US and elsewhere. Dr. James Hansen, chief NASA scientist, said “The scientific community realizes that we have a planetary emergency.”
Source
See also:
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/09/20/878851/sept-20-news-arctic-sea-ice-reaches-yearly-low-point-shattering-previous-melt-record/ Earth’s air conditioner is melting…
the Guardian: The staggering decline of sea ice at the frontline of climate change – http://gu.com/p/3abj7/em
also:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jKKr0IRUKbR6Se7mFZu_qfcFWZTw
