The record-breaking loss of Arctic sea ice during 2007 continues to stun scientists as they try to sort out what the meltdown portends for the future.
Only a few weeks ago, the ice extent in the Far North’s inland sea declined to the lowest level observed since satellite coverage began 29 years ago. The Northwest Passage opened for the first time in memory. Data from earlier decades, when ice extent was calculated largely by ship observations, suggests that ice has never shrank this far during the age of shipping.
Vast expanses of the Arctic Ocean remain ice free for the first time in human history.
It could mean no summer ice by 2030, say scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center. It’s an outcome that will drive polar bears to the edge of extinction and force devastating changes to hunting ability of Alaska’s coastal Natives.
“The sea ice cover is in a downward spiral and may have passed the point of no return,” said NSIDC senior scientist Mark Serreze in this online story. “As the years go by, we are losing more and more ice in summer, and growing back less and less ice in winter. We may well see an ice-free Arctic Ocean in summer within our lifetimes.
“The implications for global climate, as well as Arctic animals and people, are disturbing.”