Melt water, Greenland summer 2010
Photo: Sarah Das, WHOI
Record high temperatures over Greenland in spring and summer brought record melting of Greenland's ice cap in 2010.
Cumulative net annual area changes for the 35 widest marine-terminating glacier outlets
Increasing flow of warm melt waters into cracks and crevasses may lead to ice cap destabilization, rapid outlet glacier flow, rapid ice cap decline and rapid sea level rise.
Melt water, Greenland summer 2010
Photo: Sarah Das, WHOI
Record high temperatures over Greenland in spring and summer brought record melting of Greenland's ice cap in 2010.
Cumulative net annual area changes for the 35 widest marine-terminating glacier outlets
Increasing flow of warm melt waters into cracks and crevasses may lead to ice cap destabilization, rapid outlet glacier flow, rapid ice cap decline and rapid sea level rise.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just published its 2010 update on the Arctic environment. This report was produced in collaboration with scientists from the United States, Canada, Russia, and European Union. The bottom line in this report can be summarized in a single sentence:
Return to previous Arctic conditions is unlikely.
Warming of the atmosphere and sea water in the northern hemisphere are expected to produce long-term changes in the polar region, including the loss of summer sea ice, depletion of Greenland glacial ice, permafrost melt, and stress on many animal populations. Scientists first raised the possibility of an Arctic "death spiral" several years ago, which was dismissed as a passing fantasy by the ethically-challenged, half-term governor of Alaska. The possibility of an Arctic "death spiral" now looks highly likely.
The volume of Arctic sea ice hit the record minimum this September according to Mark Serreze, director of the U.S. National Snow and Ice data Center (NSDIC).
The volume - extent and thickness - of ice left in the Arctic likely reached the lowest ever level this month, Serreze told IPS.
"I stand by my previous statements that the Arctic summer sea ice cover is in a death spiral. It's not going to recover," he said.
Source: Polar Science Center, Univ. of Washington
Petermann Glacier in northern Greenland has calved a massive iceberg. Cracks in the glacier's floating tongue prompted scientists to install monitors last summer to watch for sections beginning to separate.
Today the sun emerged after a few days of cloudiness that had shrouded the glacier from satellite view, revealing a dramatic break-up.
