North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer

kluang · 06-27-2008, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Arctic sea ice could break apart completely at the North Pole this year, allowing ships to sail over the normally frozen top of the world.

The potential landmark thaw - the first time in human history the pole would be ice-free - is a stark sign of global warming, according to an article Friday on the web site of the The Independent, a London newspaper.

"Symbolically it is hugely important," said Mark Serreze of the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado. "There is supposed to be ice at the North Pole, not open water."

Last year, the fabled Northwest Passage opened as Arctic ice retreated more than ever before.

There is no land at the North Pole, but as long as anyone has looked, it has remained a giant block of ice year-round. Scientists have been watching Arctic sea ice melt more and more each year. But each summer in recent years, the amount of ice has gotten thinner and thinner. Each winter's freeze, therefore, results in a thinner pack that, this summer, could melt altogether.

"The issue is that, for the first time that I am aware of, the North Pole is covered with extensive first-year ice," Serreze is quoted by The Independent. "I'd say it's even-odds whether the North Pole melts out."

Russia and other countries, meanwhile, have been arguing over who has rights to the region's resources, including potential oil reserves.

Several studies in recent years have predicted that the North Pole could be ice-free within a few decades. Alarm has ratcheted up every summer as the ice gets thinner and thinner. In a study released June 10, scientist said the rapid meltoff in the Arctic could threaten permafrost in continental soil elsewhere above the Arctic circle in a warm version of the snowball effect.

Last summer saw a record melt of Arctic sea ice, which shrank to more than 30 percent below its average. Around the peak of the melt, in September, air temperatures over land in the western Arctic from August to October were more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above the 1978-2006 average.

"The rapid loss of sea ice can trigger widespread changes that would be felt across the region," said Andrew Slater, also of the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

If artic melts, sea will rise, and cities will submerges. Bad.

Kina · 06-27-2008, 01:09 PM

You're also forgetting salinity with drop from 35 pps and a shitload of fish will die. And our weather system will be fucked to Hell.

Miles T · 06-27-2008, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kluang

[Article]

Could we have a link?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uchiha_Kina

You're also forgetting salinity with drop from 35 pps and a shitload of fish will die. And our weather system will be fucked to Hell.

"pps" being...?

kluang · 06-28-2008, 05:08 PM

The link

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...n171YvBuYazJV4

Miles T · 06-28-2008, 06:11 PM

'k thanks.

Hokage4354 · 06-28-2008, 07:25 PM

The seas won't raise as much that states will be covered.

It will rise enough so that all beeches will be gone, and new york city
will be 40% underwater.

06-27-2008, 01:09 PM	#2
Kina Star-Stuff Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: You do not matter. None of us do. Age: 21 Posts: 3,433 Thanks: 755 Thanked 1,181 Times in 646 Posts	Re: North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer You're also forgetting salinity with drop from 35 pps and a shitload of fish will die. And our weather system will be fucked to Hell. __________________ Luck is a skill. <Jonathan3 Don't hate on Rival. When I wake on the last day of my life, I want to face it without regret.

06-28-2008, 05:08 PM	#4
kluang One Punch Man Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 6,419 Thanks: 3,186 Thanked 4,661 Times in 2,100 Posts	Re: North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer The link http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/...n171YvBuYazJV4 __________________ To err is human, to forgive, divine. Humans aren't machines... they have souls, feelings. They live, they die, they love, they hate... And yes, they even make mistakes..... When kluang finds you creepy and wrong then you are beyond horrible. He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you. Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Being Malaysian is about driving in a German car to an Indian restaurant for an Indonesian food, then travelling home, grabbing a Pakistani kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV. Because we have no originality.

06-28-2008, 06:11 PM	#5
Miles T Genin Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 67 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer 'k thanks.

06-28-2008, 07:25 PM	#6
Hokage4354 SOTW Host Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: New Jersey Posts: 956 Thanks: 8 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: North Pole Could be Ice-Free This Summer The seas won't raise as much that states will be covered. It will rise enough so that all beeches will be gone, and new york city will be 40% underwater. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~ Join Kongregate today!

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