Arctic meltdown

YET more data has emerged that shows the reality of climate change. This time the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre has recorded a sharp decline in the extent of summer sea ice in the Arctic polar region.

Satellite images show that by September 17 the Arctic sea ice had shrunk to an area of about 3.41 million km2, or 18 percent below the previous record low of 4.17 million km2 set in 2007.

In context, the area of sea ice this year is about half the average summer low point recorded from 1979 to 2000. And the day the Arctic ice stops its seasonal melting and refreezes has not yet been reached. Scientists expect it will occur in the next few days.

Sea ice is important in the complex equation that is the Earth’s climate because the ice, being light-coloured, reflects much of the sun’s light. Conversely, open waters act as a “sink” for the sun’s energy, and that contributes to the warming of the planet.

This year’s northern ice retreat is much worse than what scientists expected, and it has raised the alarm of polar ice scientists such as Professor Peter Wadhams of Cambridge University. He notes the rate of melting in summer exceeds the forming of sea ice in winter.

He argues the result will be a total breakdown of the Arctic ice sheets within four years.

What flows will be more dramatic change: temperatures will increase and oceans will rise.

This will trigger irreversible environmental shifts that will have devastating social and economic consequences for us all.

Those who deny climate change are living in a fantasy world. The science is incontrovertible. The natural world is changing rapidly right now, and if sceptics want to prolong the debate on likely causes, so be it. Too much time has already been wasted. – The Melbourne Age