Sunday June 03, 2007

Arctic sea ice melting at faster rate than projected

greencarcongress.com -> ucar.edu :

Arctic sea ice is melting at a significantly faster rate than projected by any of the 18 computer models used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in preparing its 2007 assessments, according to a new study by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Colorado's National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

The study indicates that, because of the disparity between the computer models and actual observations, the shrinking of summertime ice is about 30 years ahead of the climate model projections. As a result, the Arctic could be seasonally free of sea ice earlier than the IPCC-projected timeframe of any time from 2050 to well beyond 2100.

The Arctic is especially sensitive to climate change partly because regions of sea ice, which reflect sunlight back into space and provide a cooling impact, are disappearing. In contrast, darker areas of open water, which are expanding, absorb sunlight and increase temperatures. This feedback loop has played a role in the increasingly rapid loss of ice in recent years, which accelerated to 9.1% per decade from 1979 to 2006 according to satellite observations.

See also :

1. Arctic dreams
2. Scientists shocked as Arctic polar route emerges
3. Polar bears drown, islands appear in Arctic thaw
4. Scramble to unlock Arctic's energy potential
5. Arctic meltdown = oil, shipping & fish

(2007-06-03 23:35:07 SGT) [Env] Permalink

Most popular blog postings on lowem.log :

1. Singapore SIBOR rate falls to 0.94% in Nov 2008, lowest since Jul 2004
2. Baltic Dry Index falls 93% as shipping rates plunge, signalling global economic collapse
3. Singapore SIBOR rate falls to 1.31%, lowest since Nov 2004
4. Singapore SIBOR interest rates fall to 1.5%, lowest since Dec 2004
5. Live spot gold price quotes chart on COMEX
6. 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid preliminary specifications released
7. Fuel prices seen stoking Malaysia inflation in 2008
8. How to insert currency exchange rates into Google Spreadsheets

Featured articles on lowem.log :

1. ABC Guide to Beating Inflation in Singapore and Elsewhere
2. Singapore inflation rate hits new 26-year high of 7.5% in Apr 2008
3. Baltic Dry Index falls 93% as shipping rates plunge, signalling global economic collapse
4. 67000 China factories closed in H1 2008 as global economic collapse takes hold
5. 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid preliminary specifications released
6. Peakoiler buys 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid FD3
7. NYMEX crude oil recovers from $32.40 low after 2.2 mbpd OPEC production cut announced
8. Singapore SIBOR rate falls to 0.94% in Nov 2008, lowest since Jul 2004