Rapid and dramatic sea ice shrinkage in Arctic
Sea ice is shrinking in the Arctic (Harley D. Nygren, NOAA)
JB: I’m Joel Block.
DB: And I’m Deborah Byrd. Perennial sea ice in the Arctic shrank by 14 percent between 2004 and 2005. Researchers describe the loss as “rapid and dramatic.”
JB: That’s according to Son Nghiem of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who led a team of scientists in a study of Arctic ice.
DB: Nghiem said that perennial ice typically stays in the Arctic for several years. It can be three meters thick – that’s 10 feet thick – or more. .
Son Nghiem: So the main result that we see is the drastic reduction of the extant of the perennial ice, which is the old, thick ice by the size of Texas. And just to let you have an idea of how much water mass that is, it could inundate Texas under seven feet of water.
JB: Texas isn’t in danger of being flooded, Nghiem added. But that much fresh water entering the sea might disrupt northern ecosystems. He said diminished sea ice, in the long run, could open up new naval routes. And that’s a mixed bag, too.
Son Nghiem: Once you have all kinds of vessels to come in there, there would be problems with the security.
DB: Tell us what you think at earthsky.org. Our thanks today to NASA:http://www.nasa.gov explore, discover, understand. We’re Block and Byrd for Earth & Sky.
Our thanks to:
Son Nghiem
Principal Scientist
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
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The “rapid and dramatic” melting of this perinial sea ice is a very big problem, not just to “Texas” but to the well-being of every living organism exsisting on planet Earth! When the ice melts to the point where there are passages created in the Arctic Ocean big enough for sea bearing liners, barges, and oil tankers to pass or, even worse, allowed to pass there will have been a deadly ecological threat created. It’s not too late for the citizens of Earth to take back the harm we have inflicted upon our life-giving planet that we were all blessed with. Please do not knowingly allow the threat of deadly pollution in the world’s most pristine and fragile environment left known to man kind! Earth is a living organism not unlike ourselves. If we purposely mistreat, slaughter, misuse, abuse, and neglect it: IT WILL DIE!!!! And so will we. Do your part as a world citizen and partisipate in healing our Mother Earth and making her a healthier, more vibrant, and enjoyable ecosystem for ourselves as well as our brothers and sisters for many millenniums to come.