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Arctic sea ice at lowest recorded levels
US data shows ice at the smallest size ever recorded in winter since observations began in 1979.
19 Mar 2015 23:43
This 2013 photo shows that the Arctic sea ice isn't nearly as bright and white as it used be [AP]
See link:
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/03/arctic-sea-ice-lowest-recorded-levels-150319223343874.html
Arctic sea ice reached its lowest winter point ever recorded, US data has shown, raising concerns about faster ice melt and rising seas due to global warming.
Data released by the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) on Thursday said that the maximum annual extent of sea ice observed this year was 14.5 million square kilometres on February 25.
"This year's maximum ice extent was the lowest in the satellite record, with below-average ice conditions everywhere except in the Labrador Sea and Davis Strait," the NSIDC said in a statement.
This is the lowest ever recorded since satellite observations began in the 1979. The ice was 1.1 million square kilometres smaller than the 1981-2010 average, and 130,017 square kilometres below the previous lowest maximum in 2011.
The UN's panel of climate scientists links the long-term shrinkage of the ice - which has reduced by 3.8 percent per decade since 1979 - to global warming and says Arctic summertime sea ice could vanish in the second half of the century.
But the NSIDC also said that a late season surge in ice was still possible. A detailed analysis of the winter sea ice from 2014 to 2015 is due to be released in early April.
'Wake up call'
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said the loss of sea ice means trouble for a vast web of life that depends on it, from polar bears to marine creatures.
"Today's chilling news from the Arctic should be a wake up call for all of us," said Samantha Smith, leader of the WWF Global Climate and Energy Initiative.
"Climate change won't stop at the Arctic Circle. Unless we make dramatic cuts in polluting gases, we will end up with a climate that is unrecognisable, unpredictable and damaging for natural systems and people."
With the return of the sun to the Arctic after months of winter darkness, the ice shrinks to a minimum in September.
The UN's World Meteorological Organisation says 2014 was the warmest year since records began in the 19th century. Almost 200 nations have agreed to work out a deal in December in Paris to slow down global warming.
Posted : March 20, 2015 1:58 am
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Lack of polar ice could put ice-dependent marine mammals in peril.[
March 19, 2015 By Emily Gertz
It’s official: Arctic sea ice hit a historic low this winter. It’s the latest sign of a long-term, perhaps permanent shift in historic climate conditions and could affect the region’s ice-dependent marine mammals.
Now that spring weather is developing, the ice is starting to melt back. It’s not possible to guess how much the ice will decrease toward its summer minimum based on its winter maximum. But a recent study found that in addition to decreasing in area, Arctic sea ice has thinned 65 percent since 1975, from around 11 to four feet.
This year’s record-breaking low in winter sea ice could lead to a difficult summer for walruses and ice seals, said Raychelle Daniel, a marine mammal ecologist with the Pew Charitable Trusts in Alaska, as well as the Alaska Native communities that depend upon them for food. “Walruses travel north with the receding sea ice. They use the ice to give birth and rest, and as platform to go to the shallows to feed on clams and other organisms,” Daniel said.
“As the summer progresses, there’s concern the ice could recede faster and that the walruses won’t have adequate time to feed over the shallow continental shelf," she said, and "consume enough calories for themselves and their nursing calves.”
“If that happens they might haul out in greater numbers on land, and that poses some risks,” she said, because on land the animals are easily spooked into potentially deadly stampedes.
Ringed and bearded seals are also under stress as climate change transforms the Arctic, Daniel said. “With increasing temperatures and loss of sea ice, there’s concern about the habitat that’s so important for pupping and molting in spring.
Wildlife officials at the National Marine Fisheries Service are investigating what areas of the Arctic Ocean will be considered “critical habitat” for ringed seals to try and ensure the species’ survival as climate change continues to intensify. The public can comment on the agency’s proposals for critical habitat until March 31.
Floating polar ice covered 5.61 million square miles of the Arctic Ocean on February 25, according to information released today by the National Snow and Ice Data Center. That’s the lowest winter sea ice coverage since 1979, the year satellite data gathering began.
The three years in the satellite record with the least winter sea ice have all occurred in the past 10 years. The previous record of 5.65 million square miles occurred in 2006 and was roughly tied in 2011.
Between 1979 and 2000, winter sea ice coverage on the Arctic Ocean averaged 6.12 million square miles.
On February 25, 2015, winter sea ice covered 5.61 million square miles of the Arctic Ocean. It was the lowest winter maximum in a quarter-century of satellite data. The orange line indicates the 1981 to 2010 median extent for that day. The black cross marks the geographic North Pole. (Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center)
The NSIDC suggested that a variety of unusual weather patterns were partly to blame. Early March air temperatures above the eastern Arctic were 14 to 18 degrees Fahrenheit higher than average in some places, for instance, while some strange kinks in the jet stream warmed conditions over the Alaskan and Russian Arctic.
Posted : March 21, 2015 1:48 am
