Science Daily - Thinning Arctic Ice, Warmer Summers & Bears - Oh My!

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Polar Bears' Habitat Threatened By Thinning Of Arctic Sea Ice

"The main natural habitat of the polar bear is under increasing threat as a consequence of the dramatic thinning of the Arctic sea ice. The link between the thinning of the ice and rising temperatures has been discovered by scientists at UCL and the Met Office Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, whose findings are due to be published in the 30th October edition of Nature.

The thinness of the ice covering the Arctic Ocean, approximately three metres deep, makes it far more vulnerable to longer summers than the glaciers of the Antarctic. A 40% thinning of the ice has occurred since the 1960s.

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Previous studies suggesting that the decrease in ice cover was caused by changing wind patterns relied on computer models to arrive at their conclusions. The new results are based upon observation and measurements made possible by the use, for the first time, of radar data from a European Space Agency satellite and microwave images obtained from an American satellite, to determine changes in the length of the Arctic summer.

Dr Seymour Laxon, from the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at UCL, said: 'Results from the American satellite have shown that the length of summers has increased over the last 25 years. When we compared the data from the two satellites we were astonished by the similarity between changes in the ice thickness and the length of the summer melt season. This result suggests that if this continues, further melting will occur, leading to the eventual disappearance of the ice during summer.'"

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Science Daily

[HereSince1628]

1. Is summer a state of mind?

Is summer 1/4 of the year between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox or is it some arbitrary days above some temperature or nights without frost?

Obviously, I need to find some work or I'll lose myself in contemplation...

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2. Yeah, I thought that was badly phrased, too

"Warmer summers" or "longer periods of high temperatures" would have been much better.