Sunny weather is melting the Arctic ice
In: Bioscience & Medicine, Energy & Environment Wednesday Apr 23,2008
The extremely sunny weather last year has lead to a loss of Arctic ice in a degree that has never been seen before.
“In a warmer world, the thinner sea ice is becoming increasingly sensitive to year-to-year variations in weather and cloud patterns,” says NCAR’s Jennifer Kay, the lead author of the study. “A single unusually clear summer can now have a dramatic impact.”
Findings based on observations from instruments on NASA’s “A-Train” satellites indicate that less ice means less solar radiation reflected back into space leading to a more pronounced melting than before.
Unfortunately, every year sets a new record in the extent of shrinking, as today there’s 43% less ice coverage than in 1979. Melting increases the sea-surface temperature leading to further melting, from the bottom as well, thus creating a spiral effect.
Research concluded that there are other factors besides solar radiation that act as a potent force to melt sea ice, like changes in wind patterns or shifts in ocean circulation patterns, yet the extent is not precisely determined.
Sybil
May 11th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Hi, this is so sad. The unpredictability of the climate changescares me somehow. It as always been such a hard fight and in the seventies and eighties they were putting all people down, who spoke of green politics. Basically, I think human beings will adjust their lives to these changes, but what was feared earlier, namely that hundreds and thousands of people would die from the climate change in one or the other way - it has already come true… I am speechless about what human beings do to each other, and how the “West” watches disasters; they are talking about being human and religious, but they watch like stupid cows. On the one hand, they regret to change their lives, on the other, they rely on “green” politics, but they do not vote for it.
I do not know how to change human being s consciousness about this. Why did they not refer to solar energy from the beginning on, wind energy or water? They knew when industrialization began, that we could not go on this way forever, yet people, who prefer to live an alternative way of life are smiled upon.
Greatings and blog on! Sybil
gwh
September 9th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
oh my gosh. give me proof!! How about showing gradual pictures of melting??
this proves nothing.