NSIDC - Arctic Sea Ice Decline May Be Irrevocable; Ice Extent Trend Down Every Month Since 1979

[hatrack]

Washington, Mar 16: Arctic sea ice that has been dwindling for several decades may have reached a tipping point that could trigger a cascade of climate change reaching into Earth's temperate regions, a new University of Colorado at Boulder study has said.

Mark Serreze, a senior research scientist at CU-Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center who led the study synthesizing results from recent research, said the Arctic sea-ice extent trend has been negative in every month since 1979, when concerted satellite record keeping efforts began. He said the loss of ice, about 38,000 square miles annually as measured each September, was due to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases and strong natural variability in Arctic sea ice.

"When the ice thins to a vulnerable state, the bottom will drop out and we may quickly move into a new, seasonally ice-free state of the Arctic. I think there is some evidence that we may have reached that tipping point, and the impacts will not be confined to the Arctic region," said Serreze.

Serreze said the decline in Arctic sea ice besides negatively affecting wildlife like polar bears and increasing erosion of coastlines in Alaska and Siberia, could also cause reduced rainfall in the American West or increased precipitation over western and southern Europe.


EDIT

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/125792.php/Arctic-sea-ice-decline-may-trigger-climate-change-even-in-temperate-zones

[kestrel91316]

1. Just wait 'til it gets warm enough that it starts raining in ANTARCTICA.

[autorank]

2. K&R If the trend continues, here's what happens...25% of US Population Impacted

US Geological Survey

Potential Sea-Level Changes
If Earth's climate continues to warm, then the volume of present-day ice sheets will decrease. Melting of the current Greenland ice sheet would result in a sea-level rise of about 6.5 meters; melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet would result in a sea-level rise of about 8 meters (table 1). The West Antarctic ice sheet is especially vulnerable, because much of it is grounded below sea level. Small changes in global sea level or a rise in ocean temperatures could cause a breakup of the two buttressing ice shelves (Ronne/Filchner and Ross). The resulting surge of the West Antarctic ice sheet would lead to a rapid rise in global sea level.

Reduction of the West Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets similar to past reductions would cause sea level to rise 10 or more meters. A sea-level rise of 10 meters would flood about 25 percent of the U.S. population, with the major impact being mostly on the people and infrastructures in the Gulf and East Coast States (fig. 3).

Figure 3. Red shows areas along the Gulf Coast and East Coast of the United States that would be flooded by a 10-meter rise in sea level. Population figures for 1996 (U.S. Bureau of the Census, unpublished data, 1998) indicate that a 10-meter rise in sea level would flood approximately 25 percent of the Nation's population.

Figure 3

[phantom power]

3. And then consider how much industrial infrastructure is in those red bits.

Then extend that over every mile of coastline on the planet.

Saddle up ye tygre!

[autorank]

4. Nice job they've done with things isn't it.

I tried to find the thread I ran that talked about a 6-7 meter rise in sea level, just as the Gore film came out. It included this but noted that 21 feet by the end of 2100 was going to be devastating. That was well before this new trend was discovered. Now we're talking the whole nine yards, perhaps. Interestingly, a guy showed up who was contradicting everything I said, massive distortion and misrepresentation. There needs to be a reckoning for those who deliberately misrepresented and mislead the public on this issue. This article is amazing.

[phantom power]

5. There will be a reckoning. For all of us.

[autorank]

6. Yep. No free ride on this one, no rescue at the last minute....

...but wait, what about those guys who stopped the comet by blowing it up?

Is there Marvel character who does ... wait, Aqua Man!

Seriously, this is just dreadful and it's even worse that this original post is getting so little attention, not that I'm complaining about the company;)

The really odd thing is this: can you think of one world leader who is adamantly pushing this cause? I know that there are some smaller nations pushing it, but a major nation's President/Prime Minister, none. Why is that?

[Morgana LaFey]

7. I predict there is going to be so much rage

among all the peoples of the earth toward their governments and leaders -- and us, no doubt, since we're the biggest abusers, it'll be unreal.

[autorank]

8. There won't be enough wood to build the gallows...

Agreed!

[rman]

9. And that's only due to rising sea water, excluding the effects

of climate change on agriculture. I'm afraid it's going to be much worse, sooner than many anticipate.

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Let's not forget isostatic effects

With such a large displacement of mass, the Earth will change shape -- just a little. But it will be enough to cause significant seismic activity. Some of this activity in earlier eras has been studied, and it is not encouraging. The only bright spot is that the amount of melting ice from 18 kYA to 8 kYA was much greater than what we can expect from global warming.

On the other hand, the recent warming is several times as fast.

--p!