Winter Arctic sea ice near record low

[RamboLiberal]

Source: MSNBC/Reuters

Winter Arctic sea ice this year was the second smallest area on record in a sign of greenhouse warming, U.S. climate scientists said on Wednesday.

Sea ice extent, or the area of ocean that is covered by at least 15 percent ice, was 5.7 million square miles in March, the Colorado-based National Sea and Ice Data Center said on Wednesday. March usually marks the end of winter in the Arctic, a period when sea ice recovers from the summertime minimum.

This March's ice level represented a slight recovery from the record low during the same month last year when the ice extent was 5.6 million square miles. But low sea ice levels this winter — the world's warmest on record, according to the U.S. government — are part of a trend toward less ice.

"This long-term trend, which seems to be accelerating, is really an indication of a warming, and the only way you get the warming is with greenhouse gases," said NSIDC research scientist Walt Meier. On a global level, carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, is being released in growing amounts from tailpipes and smokestacks.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17955650/

[dysfunctional press]

1. something tells me that we're in for a wild ride this summer.

as species go- we suck.

[pigpickle]

2. this thread inevitably needs to be kicked

[Up2Late]

3. Just wait till NEXT year, my bet is that it will be even worse.

Stay tuned.

[Bozita]

4. CBC's "National" is all about global warming. Mansbridge is in EGYPT tonight - viewing link

Africa is being hit hardest. Desertification compounded by a lack of infrastructure.

Then off to Australia, an entire continent experiencing its worst drought on record.

An enlightening hour. Recommended viewing.

Take a look:
http://www.cbc.ca/video/index.html#load-uid_national