Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

[mooncliff]

The Arctic Ocean is losing its ice. See the first graph of summer sea ice over the last 1,400 years.

http://www.earth-policy.org/data_hig...2/highlights31

Note how the sea ice starts disappearing rapidly when we really started burning fossil fuels over the last century.
The area covered by ice used to reflect 90% of the sunlight that hit it; now it will be reflecting only 10% of the light and absorbing 90% of the sunlight. The surface water will warm up rapidly (warm water floats on cold water and they are difficult to mix). The surface water will start to evaporate rapidly, leaving saltier water behind that tends to sink because it is denser. The weather patterns will change. Parts of Europe could become MUCH colder, or MUCH warmer. It could become MUCH drier, or MUCH wetter with more flooding. The jetstream could become less wiggly so that there will be more "blocking" (the jetstream does not wiggle very much, so in a particular location a weather pattern persists for weeks instead of a few days, and you get weeks of rain or weeks of no rain).
If you think that is bad, wait until the ocean circulation patterns change.
Human populations and infrastructure are in places that match the climate resources for the last several centuries. If you now suddenly move the climate, you get a huge mismatch. This will be very expensive.

See this video of what has happened already.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaKqhRTqSlg

[don]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

You're clearly not looking at this through the appropriate special interest filter - the melting of the Arctic may be the energy solution for our future. (brought to you by Big Oil)

[mooncliff]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

Yes, certainly it will be easier to drill where it was more difficult to drill before... the Russians knew this years ago and planted a flag at the north pole under the ocean. I dont think the fossil fuel we get out of the arctic will make up for all the disruption we are going to have. There are a lot of innocent people who are going to be hurt or die from this.

[don]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

easier

in this case is a relative term. Ferocious weather at the poles. (and I hope you took note of the satire in my response above)

[cbr]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

i don't know any data behind that, but all of this kind of data is very controversial and disputed on all sides. to me, the important thing to note is that temperature has always fluctuated, that we don't yet know all the variables as to why, nor how to assign values to any such variables - and that therefore any policy decisions based on these theories are WAY premature. Finally, it is clear to me that WARMER is most certainly much, much better than COLDER, given that variation will always happen and we can't predict how or which way it will go. the latest greatest supposed data shows zero warming or lost ice over the last 15 years, so it is just as likely that IF mankind is a significant warming factor, it is possible that we are SAVING ourselves by warming the planet, rather than hurting ourselves.

[shiny!]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

I keep reading that the ice is melting at the North pole, but growing in Antarctica. Then I read about giant ice floes melting and breaking off in Antarctica... What's the truth?

Trending warmer, trending colder... whatever happens will be a boon for some locations and a problem for others. Some people believe that the warming or cooling will cross a tipping point where it becomes a self-perpetuating, ever-growing loop of chaos and destruction until the planet is dead. I don't believe that. Cockroaches and oleanders cannot be extinctified.

[Master Shake]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

I'm amazed to find out that they had satellite photos and/or reliable historical documentation of sea ice coverage going back to 563 A.D.

[vt]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestay...nother-record/

[Ghent12]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

I'm amazed to find out that they had satellite photos and/or reliable historical documentation of sea ice coverage going back to 563 A.D.

Probably the trees told them the extent of arctic sea ice extent. Well, at least until they became inaccurate and "scientists" had to use other sources of information to "hide the decline."

[Polish_Silver]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestay...nother-record/

It links to another article saying polar bears are OK, that colder weather would actually reduce thier numbers, and that they have survived many cooling and heating cycles.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamestay...ing-alarmists/

[stetts]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

Shiny!,
"I keep reading that the ice is melting at the North pole, but growing in Antarctica. Then I read about giant ice floes melting and breaking off in Antarctica... What's the truth?"
Yep, both are. Melting in the north, but far different story down under which is some ten times larger than the arctic. There are some giant ice floes forming from the spit of land that juts out into the Bellingshausen Sea, but that's a tiny part of the continent. Most of the area is covered with more ice than ever. Naturally, this massive accumulation of ice is a sure sign of global warming, although the logic escapes me. This unusual activity will obviously cause intense and immediate warming somewhere or flooding or tornadoes or severe hangnails. Or maybe frostbite--it's all so confusing. I'm sure Al can help with this.
Hope this helps. And yes, the last three sentences are satire. Stetts

[Polish_Silver]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

They don't explain how they get the arctic ice data. There is evidence that the north atlantic region was warmer in Viking times than now, and still warmer during Roman times.

[Chris Coles]

Re: Arctic sea ice over the last 1,400 years

NASA's Operation Ice Bridge off to a productive start

http://spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=42357