[cyclonebuster]

Arctic melting
Climate scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, outside Washington, say the Arctic Ocean could be entirely ice free in late summer 2013.

"The sea ice is decreasing faster than all the models predicted," says Jay Zwally, the ice satellite project scientist at NASA Goddard, "We not only have the warming of the atmosphere, we have a warming of the ocean that is affecting this. It has been surprising to everybody, this decrease in area. This is a marked departure, and this is suggesting to us that maybe we are getting at this tipping point."


VOA News - NASA Scientists See Hastened Arctic Warming
http://www.voanews.com/mediaassets/e...ngPoint_bb.wmv

Better build my "TUNNELS" Now!

[DougF]

Good article although I think you should have put in the "Global warming" thread (a hot topic)
http://hypography.com/forums/environ...l-warming.html

one line from the first article linked.

All climate models have variability and the possibility that melting trends may lead to results less severe than predicted.

I don't think all the numbers are in yet to predict that.

and the second link doesn't seem to work.

[InfiniteNow]

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Arctic summers ice-free 'by 2013'

"Our projection of 2013 for the removal of ice in summer is not accounting for the last two minima, in 2005 and 2007," the researcher from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, explained to the BBC.

"So given that fact, you can argue that may be our projection of 2013 is already too conservative."

The minimum ice extent reached in September 2007 shattered the previous record for ice withdrawal set in 2005, of 5.32 million square km.

The long-term average minimum, based on data from 1979 to 2000, is 6.74 million square km. In comparison, 2007 was lower by 2.61 million square km, an area approximately equal to the size of Alaska and Texas combined, or the size of 10 United Kingdoms.

"In the end, it will just melt away quite suddenly. It might not be as early as 2013 but it will be soon, much earlier than 2040."

"In the end, it will just melt away quite suddenly."
~Professor Peter Wadhams

[cyclonebuster]

Better build my "TUNNELS" Now!

[C1ay]

If so, it will not be the first time. Earth has gone through numerous tropical and ice ages...

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by C1ay

If so, it will not be the first time. Earth has gone through numerous tropical and ice ages...

And now many of those have occurred during the tenure of homo sapien?

Whether natural, anthropogenic, or the more likely combination of both... what is happening will impact our ability to survive, so concern is warranted.


"Hey... no worries, brotha... It happens every few millenia."
"Yes, but my child is alive now, and may not be tomorrow."

[C1ay]

Originally Posted by InfiniteNow

Whether natural, anthropogenic, or the more likely combination of both... what is happening will impact our ability to survive, so concern is warranted.

Certainly concern is warranted but man should face the facts as well. Earth experiences this cycle naturally and man doesn't have the means to control it. As much as we may want to change history we probably haven't advanced enough ourselves to do so. Man's actions may or may not contribute to an acceleration of this natural cycle but either way, a warmer planet is in the future (barring a major volcanic eruption). Like a climber planning for Everest or a nomad crossing the desert, man should prepare for what's inevitable, a warmer planet.

[cyclonebuster]

Originally Posted by C1ay

Certainly concern is warranted but man should face the facts as well. Earth experiences this cycle naturally and man doesn't have the means to control it. As much as we may want to change history we probably haven't advanced enough ourselves to do so. Man's actions may or may not contribute to an acceleration of this natural cycle but either way, a warmer planet is in the future (barring a major volcanic eruption). Like a climber planning for Everest or a nomad crossing the desert, man should prepare for what's inevitable, a warmer planet.

Man doesn't have the means to control it? What you think we are doing now?

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by cyclonebuster

Man doesn't have the means to control it? What you think we are doing now?

We're not controlling it, we're (until recently) ignoring our contributions. Control implies the ability to manipulate at will.

The extreme climate control methods that have been suggested are a bit frightening to me at our current level of understanding.

I agree with C1ay that we should prepare for climate change regardless of the cause.

Not to omit my bias though () I'm of the camp that believes in anthropogenic warming trends.

As far as the Arctic ice, only time will tell...

[C1ay]

Originally Posted by cyclonebuster

Man doesn't have the means to control it? What you think we are doing now?

As I said before, man may or may not be contributing to a natural cycle. We are not controlling anything.

Take a look at this for an idea of man's contribution to the problem...