"Exclusive: No ice at the North Pole"

Greetings

Here's the front page headline from today's Independent:

Exclusive: No ice at the North Pole

In fact the situation was reported briefly on-line by the International Polar Foundation on 24 June, though it would seem to be an exclusive as far as the British press goes.

The gist is that there is now considered to be a 50% or better chance that the North Pole will be ice-free this summer. Over the last month it has been melting even faster than last year's unprecedented losses.

Historically the bulk of the Arctic has been pack ice which has built up over several seasons - ultimately it can be regarded as a remnant of the last ice age - augmented around its periphery by single-season ice which forms in winter then melts again in summer.

Previously this formation and melting has been in balance, so that over time the size of the Arctic has been relatively stable within the seasonal variations the process entails.

At the end of this winter (March 2008) the overall area of the Arctic had actually recovered somewhat from the hammering it received last summer and was greater than at the end of winter 2007.

But by the end of May the ice had melted so rapidly that it was already back to where it had been at the same time last year. Hence the area under ice is currently reducing even faster than last summer.

The reason is that last summer's losses were so severe that, depending on reports, 65 to 70% or more of the Arctic pack is now single-year ice. This simply does not have the resistance to temperature of the much thicker multi-year ice. As a result it is expected that some 70% of the single-year cover will melt this summer, leaving open water all the way to the Pole.

Satellite measurements and field observations confirm all of this. The only uncertainty is the weather in July and August which will be critical.


The full reports can be found at:

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/exclusive-no-ice-at-the-north-pole-855406.html

and

http://www.sciencepoles.org/index.php?/news/the_geographic_north_pole_might_be_ice_free_this_summer/&uid=1267



Meanwhile, here's something fortify and steel you, if not paint the future

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10BbpGKLXqk


People get ready



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