<
https://theconversation.com/a-walk-across-alaskas-arctic-sea-ice-brings-to-life-the-losses-that-appear-in-climate-data-254910>
"As I walked out onto the frozen Arctic water off Utqiagvik, Alaska, for the
first time, I was mesmerized by the icescape.
Piles of blue and white sea-ice rubble several feet high gave way to flat areas
and then rubble again. The snow atop it, sometimes several feet deep, hides
gaps among the blocks of sea ice, as I found out when one of my legs suddenly
disappeared through the snow.
As a polar climate scientist, I have focused on Arctic sea ice for over a
decade. But spending time on the ice with people who rely on it for their way
of life provides a different perspective.
Local hunters run snowmobiles over the sea ice to reach the whales and seals
they rely on for traditional food. They talked about how they know when the sea
ice is safe to travel on, and how that’s changing as global temperatures rise.
They described worsening coastal erosion as the protective ice disappears
earlier and forms later. On land, they’re contending with thawing permafrost
that causes roads and buildings to sink.
Their experiences echo the data I have been working with from satellites and
climate models.
Most winters, sea ice covers the entire surface of the Arctic Ocean basin, even
extending into the northern North Atlantic and North Pacific. Even in late
summer, sea ice used to cover about half the Arctic Ocean. However, the late
summer ice has declined by about 50% since routine satellite observations began
in 1978.
This decline of summer sea ice area has a multitude of effects, from changing
local ecosystems to allowing more shipping through the Arctic Ocean. It also
enhances global warming, because the loss of the reflective white sea-ice
surface leaves dark open water that absorbs the Sun’s radiation, adding more
heat to the system."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
