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

sue4e3

(731 posts)
Mon Mar 28, 2016, 05:33 PM Mar 2016

2016 Arctic sea ice wintertime extent hits another record low

Arctic sea ice appears to have reached a record low wintertime maximum extent for the second year in a row, according to scientists at the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and NASA.

Every year, the cap of frozen seawater floating on top of the Arctic Ocean and its neighboring seas melts during the spring and summer and grows back in the fall and winter months, reaching its maximum yearly extent between February and April. On March 24, Arctic sea ice extent peaked at 5.607 million square miles (14.52 million square kilometers), a new record low winter maximum extent in the satellite record that started in 1979. It is slightly smaller than the previous record low maximum extent of 5.612 million square miles (14.54 million square kilometers) that occurred last year. The 13 smallest maximum extents on the satellite record have happened in the last 13 years.
The new record low follows record high temperatures in December, January and February around the globe and in the Arctic. The atmospheric warmth probably contributed to this lowest maximum extent, with air temperatures up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit above average at the edges of the ice pack where sea ice is thin, said Walt Meier, a sea ice scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-03-arctic-sea-ice-wintertime.html#jCp

2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
2016 Arctic sea ice wintertime extent hits another record low (Original Post) sue4e3 Mar 2016 OP
Great news! Now we can drill for oil there year round! BillZBubb Mar 2016 #1
Good thing is all just part of a vast librul conspiracy.... truebrit71 Mar 2016 #2
 

truebrit71

(20,805 posts)
2. Good thing is all just part of a vast librul conspiracy....
Mon Mar 28, 2016, 06:10 PM
Mar 2016


Ice free in the summer this year maybe?
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Environment & Energy»2016 Arctic sea ice winte...