Arctic sea ice melting at an alarming rate, satellites show

[\/\/illy]

Arctic sea ice melting at an alarming rate, satellites show

Last Updated Wed, 15 Feb 2006 14:00:47 EST

CBC News

Every year, the Arctic loses sea ice that could almost cover Lake Superior, say scientists studying the area's ecosystem.

Prof. David Barber, a sea ice specialist from the University of Manitoba, said satellite images are showing that sea ice cover in the Arctic is now melting at a rate of 74,000 square kilometres a year. The water surface area of Lake Superior is 82,100 square kilometres.

Barber is among 120 scientists from nearly a dozen nations who are attending a meeting of the Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study in Winnipeg this week. The group, which conducted research over the past three years in the Arctic, is releasing its findings, including studies from a year spent on board the Amundsen research icebreaker.

Barber said he's most concerned about how the loss of ice can impact the habitat of species such as ring seals. The melting is happening too fast for them to adapt, he said.

"So the ecosystems that have evolved to take advantage of that sea ice, you can imagine how do they adapt to such a change. It has happened so rapidly, how do they adapt to such a thing?" he said.

Scientists at the meeting are worried the situation could worsen in 2006 because less ice makes it easier to melt the remaining cover.

"Soon as you have less ice growth, you have more open water," said Simon Prinsenberg of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Halifax. "Open [water] means the ocean is nice and black, and the radiation of the sun can go into the ocean, heat the ocean and you get more ice melt."

Researchers estimate that in as little as 15 years, the Arctic could be ice free in the summer. They said the last time that happened was more than a million years ago.

But Prinsenberg said less ice could be positive for northern economies.

"A lot of people think that with less ice we might see more fisheries up there and since there's less ice it's also easier to get up there," he said.

Louis Fortier, a professor at Laval University in Quebec City, also said as ice cover shrinks in the Arctic, other species adapting to warmer conditions could move into the region.

[Alexis]

So what! Haven't you ever seen that movie Waterworld? I'm sure it'll all work out for the best!

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

I had to notice that that was the teaser no. 1 going into the morning news on CBC today.

[Tooly]

yep, were all gonna go to hell

[Schwa.]

So what! Haven't you ever seen that movie Waterworld? I'm sure it'll all work out for the best!

Here's hoping my kids grow gills!

[Lazlo]

yep, were all gonna go to hell

All ready there.

[Tenenbaum]

it blows my mind there are folk out there who insist "Global Warming" is a hoax and nothing but a left wing conspiracy.

[Lazlo]

If the ice caps do melt we're only looking at about a 16 foot rise in our oceans. Only about half of the world population would be displaced. Not so bad.

[Tooly]

read someting a while ago from greenpeace, how this greenpeace team was hiking from one side of the north pole to the other to do some research, only to find out that they couldnt hike it, because theres not enough ice left. polar bears are drowning trying to swim to shore because there aint no ice

yeah schwa as long as we can develop gills we should be okay hahaha

[timouse]

it blows my mind there are folk out there who insist "Global Warming" is a hoax and nothing but a left wing conspiracy.

the phrase "global warming" is the problem. quite often the debate is reduced immediately to " well you know, many places are experiencing colder than normal average temperatures, and really, it's only warmed a degree or two in hundreds of years, which has happenned many times in history..." and so forth. by instantly placing that kind of boundary on things, they divert attention away from the real issue, that being climate change.

arctic and antarctic ice is disappearing rapidly, and the resulting increase in "fresh" water reaching the ocean is wreaking havoc on ocean current. the level of salinity in the ocean affects the way that oceans currents work in the arctic...they refer to it as thermohaline circulation (THC). (heeheehee)

as arctic ice melts, cooling gulf stream water would normally descend and recirculate toward the equator, creating a thermohaline "conveyor." as fresh water enters arctic oceans, the overall salinity of arctic water decreases. fresh water is less dense than salt water, and as a result, melting ice is slowing down the thermohaline conveyor.

a few degree sustained rise in temperature will not only screw with the underlying mechanisms for global weather, but increase sea levels by 5-10 metres.

me, i want to move to the mountains.

if the above didn't depress you enough, check out thermohaline research at the hadley centre in england, or check out the climate change radio series at TUC radio.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

Now you just made that up, didn't you.

[\/\/illy]

Yup, it's hard to deny that we're totally screwed.

[Biggest Fan]

All the polar bear needs is ice and we f@ck that up to. It all gets me pretty angry.

[timouse]

Now you just made that up, didn't you.

i wish i could say that i did make it up, but no, just when you think that we had reached the maximum number of things to be alarmed about, ~wham!~ there's another one

[mattm]

C'mon guys, be serious here. It would cost a fortune to lower CO2 emmision and regulate pollutants. You also have to take in the fact that the oil tycoons don't really have all that much money so they need as much as they can get.

I'll prove it:

"There is some new money in the Advanced Energy Initiative that President Bush announced last night, but it pales in comparison to the tax breaks he's offering the oil companies," says Susan Joy Hassol, an independent climate analyst who has written several major international assessments of global climate change.

"Compared to the incremental increases he is offering for the development of new energy technologies — increases of millions or tens of millions of dollars — in the overall energy bill, the president is giving billions in tax breaks to the oil and gas drillers — and all this at a time when oil company profits are soaring," Hassol says.

from ABC News

See, why would bush do something like that if it was a serious problem? He's got lots of scientific advisors doesn't he?

The quote is really from a site the rest of the post is me being sarcastic but I can't find a sarcastic html tag so this message will have to do

[StoneMtn]

me, i want to move to the mountains.

...way ahead of you; Tim.

[Dr_Evil_Mouse]

just when you think that we had reached the maximum number of things to be alarmed about, ~wham!~ there's another one

[color:purple]But all you need to do is put your faith in Jesus, or his earthly representatives James Dobson, Tim LaHaye, and Pat Robertson, and you'll be raptured away from the whole mess before it gets too ugly. Besides, if global warming - don't give me any of that confusing "climate change" PC crap - is what's in store, doesn't that look a lot like the lake of fire in the Book of Revelation, that we can see from Heaven, and yea, we shall laugh amongst ourselves at the eternal suffering of the sinners down below.

[Deeps]

C'mon guys, be serious here. It would cost a fortune to lower CO2 emmision and regulate pollutants. You also have to take in the fact that the oil tycoons don't really have all that much money so they need as much as they can get.

I'll prove it:

"There is some new money in the Advanced Energy Initiative that President Bush announced last night, but it pales in comparison to the tax breaks he's offering the oil companies," says Susan Joy Hassol, an independent climate analyst who has written several major international assessments of global climate change.

"Compared to the incremental increases he is offering for the development of new energy technologies — increases of millions or tens of millions of dollars — in the overall energy bill, the president is giving billions in tax breaks to the oil and gas drillers — and all this at a time when oil company profits are soaring," Hassol says.

from ABC News

See, why would bush do something like that if it was a serious problem? He's got lots of scientific advisors doesn't he?

The quote is really from a site the rest of the post is me being sarcastic but I can't find a sarcastic html tag so this message will have to do

Purple = sarcasm.

[Biggest Fan]

I was listening to a report where GWB censored his own scientist on this issue. Truely a man who only hears what he wants to hear.

[timouse]

Purple = sarcasm.

exactly. for more clarification, see dr evil's post above.

prsuming he was meaning to be sarcstic...i have been meaning to check out the"left behind series...

oops. crap. sorry, i meant [color:purple]i have been meaning to check out the"left behind series...

(~)