Arctic Ice At 2nd-Lowest Level On Record (Experts Say Last Year not an Anomaly)

[sabra]

Source: CBS News/AP

Experts Say Last Year's Record Low Sea Ice Was Not An Anomaly

(AP) Arctic Ocean sea ice has melted to the second lowest minimum since satellite observations began, according to scientists at the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Sea ice melt recorded on Monday exceeded the low recorded in 2005, which had held second place.

With several weeks left in the melt season, ice in summer 2008 has a chance to diminish below the record low set last year, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Environmental groups said the ice melt was another alarm bell warning of global warming.

"It's an unfortunate sign that climate change is coming rapidly to the Arctic and that we really need to address the issue of global warming on a national level," said Christopher Krenz, Arctic project manager for Oceana.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/27/tech/main4387426.shtml

[Lorien]

1. But, but, but...

Science doesn't know everything! This year was cooler than the last five! The economy and Iraq are the ONLY issues! Even if all life on the planet dies, the earth will be alright, so it's OK! Science will fix it; we may not be "able" to get a zero emission car on the market that runs on something that doesn't involve fossil fuels-BUT, we'll just colonize another planet or build ourselves a giant cruise ship in outer space to escape climate change!


:sarcasm:

Did I leave anything out?

[closeupready]

3. We can always have Scotty beam us up, right?

:rofl:

[tom_paine]

6. LOL. You don't think that all that melting ice has anything to do with our temporary cooldown?

Naaah.

:rofl:

[Barrett808]

9. I'd say instead it's lingering effects of La Niña causing the cool year

As for the Arctic meltdown, it's pretty clear that we're slipping into one of those "other" climate states that may be less comfortable than the Holocene was.

[tom_paine]

10. I thought I read somewhere that El Nino/La Nina were in a neutral state this year

:shrug:

Of course, the climate being as massive and complex as it is, there is no real single cause or effect, but more likely, dozens or hundreds of each.

So, it may well be that we have each named a component of the Big Picture.

[nam78_two]

2. Scary-K&R.nt

[progressoid]

4. No no no. It's cyclical.

Michael Crichton said so.

[salib]

5. Even more alarming

If one looks at the graph of daily sea ice extent, it "troughs" at a later date now than the 1979-2000 average figures (about Sep 20-25 instead of Sep 5 or so). Now, 3 data points do not make a great comparison, but one has to register to see more. However, with those 3 troughs to go by and "extrapolating loosely" the 2008 curve, it could EASILY be a record year in 2008. Maybe even 4 million square km.

As a point of reference, it was about 13 million square km at the beginning of May.

[Barrett808]

8. Here's a good graph, just updated with yesterday's data:

http://www.ijis.iarc.uaf.edu/en/home/seaice_extent.htm

[MessiahRp]

7. Stop spouting all this junk science...

Ignorance is Bliss damn it! Plus we don't want our billionaires to have to pay to clean up the messes they helped create!

Rp

[corporatemedia]

11. MAP and CHART and LINK to NSIDC and cool ANIMATION

LINK: http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/index.html

ANIMATION: http://nsidc.org/images/arcticseaicenews/20080825_Figure3.mov

[The Night Owl]

12. One more study... One more study... one more...

[The Night Owl]

13. Pictured: The nine polar bears left to drown by the retreating ice

Pictured: The nine polar bears left to drown by the retreating ice

By Barry Wigmore
Last updated at 4:38 PM on 29th August 2008

Nine polar bears are lost in the Arctic sea and face an impossible 400-mile swim back to shore because of global warming, scientists say.

The bears plunged into the sea after the ice floe where they lived melted, and although land was only 60 miles away, their homing instinct sent them north towards the ever-shrinking polar ice cap.

Scientists are now considering sending a ship, like a modern Noah’s Ark, in a bid to rescue some of the bears.

...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1050659/Pictured-The-polar-bears-left-drown-retreating-ice.html

Yes, let's send a ship to rescue the polar bears. And, let's make sure that the Senator Inhoffe is on that ship so we can drop him off on a piece of drift ice.