University Of Bangor Oceanographer - Arctic Meltdown Shows Region "Locked Into Spiral Of Decline"

[hatrack]

DRAMATIC new evidence showing that ice cover on the Arctic Ocean has fallen to its lowest level recorded proves the area is “locked into a spiral of decline”, a Welsh scientist said last night. Bangor University Oceanographer Dr Tom Rippeth, who has a team doing research in Arctic, says the polar ice cap has shrunk by almost a third compared with its size this time last year.

Research from the National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) reveals that at 4.2m sq km the cap has shrunk by an area about seven times larger than the UK. When compared to the typical September ice coverage for the 1960s and 70s the change is even greater, as the cap has shrunk to about half the size it was then. Over the past 10 years the polar ice cap has never been observed to shrink by more than 0.2m square km, but this year has fallen by more than 1m square km.

Dr Rippeth insists the magnitude of the fall is clear evidence of how global warming is changing the planet. He said, “The magnitude of the decline in arctic ice cover has taken everyone by surprise. It’s far too big to be a result of natural variability and tends to suggest that we are actually locked into a spiral of decline.” And Dr Rippeth said the latest evidence proves the case beyond a reasonable doubt climate change is a man-made phenomenon.

He said, “If you look at the floods we had this summer, the drought they are currently having in Australia and the heatwave of 2003 it’s another climate extreme. “It adds to the growing body of evidence that we are going through a major climate shift. “That’s consistent with what we would expect to see from pumping increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

EDIT

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_headline=8216-shrinking-ice-cover-shows-we-are-in-spiral-of-decline-8217&method=full&objectid=19892113&siteid=50082-name_page.html

[n2doc]

1. The really scary thing is that the longer term trends are all in this direction

Supposedly we enter a "warm" decade in a couple of years-that is, a period that would be warmer even if we wern't helping it along.

I thin we are going to see the end of the majority of the Arctic ice pack by 2015. If not earlier. The really scary one to watch, though, is Greenland.

[kestrel91316]

3. Arctic ice pack: 5 years

West Antarctic Ice Shelf: 15 years
Greenland: 20 years

Just my humble opinion.......

[XemaSab]

6. Ice pack: 5

Ice Shelf: 20

Greenland: 25

As Homer Simpson would say, "That sounds like a wager." :donut:

[Systematic Chaos]

8. My pessimism is showing.

Ice pack: 4

Ice Shelf: 9

Greenland: 12

Every time there's a damn estimate, including those put out by the "experts", everything manages to happen "much faster than expected". I just happen to think that the current forecast upper limits are nowhere near what the real upper limits will show themselves to be.

[jpak]

2. K&R

...

[Kolesar]

4. Time to start shooting sulphur compounds into the stratsosphere?

Block the light??

[XemaSab]

5. Yeah, and create devastating acid rain around the world to add to our problems

:eyes:

[Kolesar]

7. you weren't using those trees, were you?