Global warming could melt the Arctic’s ice during the summer as early as 2040, raising serious environmental as well as commercial and strategic issues, experts said on Monday.
“The effects of greenhouse warming are starting to rear their ugly head,” said Mark Serreze, a scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder.
Marika Holland, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, projects a slow, steady decline of Arctic ice as global warming continues, with a dramatic “tipping point” in about two decades.
The research, published by the scientific journal Geophysical Research Letters [yesterday], found that the extent of sea ice each September could be reduced so abruptly that, within about 20 years, it may begin retreating four times faster than at any time in the observed record.
“The ice is actually quite stable until 2025 and then boom, it goes,” Holland told the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
Although geographically remote from most of the inhabited world, melting Arctic ice could change the world’s ecosystem including sea and surface life, weather, shipping patterns and even national defense needs.
“There are winners and losers in this game but on balance I think it’s negative,” Serreze said.
Guess who gets to be winners and who gets to be losers?
Cheese –
Much of the actual land that is under the icecap of Greenland is below (current)sea level. There is a C-shaped ridge along the outer periphery, with a “lagoon” in the middle.
Map
30,
the North Pole is a GIANT floating Ice berg.. the N. Pole is a Large ocean, under ice. Its mostly Floating ICE… It already impacts sea level, and its melt wont cause much change..
The S. pole IS land mass covered by Ice and smow.
Why care about issues when the problem won’t happen untill after your dead John?
33,
BECAUSE..
If you got kids…wouldnt it be nice to say’ YOU TRIED.
IF you are the first to point it out to the rest of the world, you say…I TOLD YA SO.
This is like Mt. saint helens…
Its going to BLOW…
Back out 50 miles, its going to BLOW..
STILL, over 300 people DIED with in 20 miles.
And it Blew and Covered 100(?)MILES, with ash 6 feet deep of ash.