Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Judi Lynn

(160,211 posts)
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 04:25 PM Jan 2013

Scientist Seeks Connection Between Fire and Ice in Greenland

Scientist Seeks Connection Between Fire and Ice in Greenland
By: Rebecca Jacobson

Are wildfires speeding up ice melt in Greenland? Jason Box, founder of the Dark Snow project, is taking up a collection to find out.

Last summer, record-setting wildfires raged across Colorado and New Mexico. It was the third most devastating wildfire year on record in the U.S. Warmer and drier temperatures in recent decades has also led to increased fire activity in the Arctic tundra. The Anaktuvuk River fire in Alaska in 2007, for example, burned 401 square miles, an area the size of Cape Cod. It was the largest tundra fire ever recorded.

While forests and grasslands burned, the Arctic melted. Greenland's ice sheet melted at a faster rate than scientists had ever observed, with 90 percent of the mass thawing in July.

Box, who is a Greenland ice climatologist at the Byrd Polar Research Center, thinks there might be a connection between the wildfires and the unprecedented ice melt.

More:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/01/scientist-seeks-donations-to-fund-greenland-research.html

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Environment & Energy»Scientist Seeks Connectio...