No more Arctic ice within ten years

[escapeUK]

I haven't heard that concern.

Id be more concerned that uncontrolled breeding gives us a population that cannot be fed and famine, plague and war destroys the excess. Worrying that an uninhabitable region of the earth becomes less uninhabitable is a waste of time.

[Scoobos]

Why would that be a worry? The area is inhospitable to life do to being too icey, so it becoming less icey has to be great news.

get lost trolling. You total numpty, real people are dying as a result of this, man made or not.

We need ecological diversity and things to eat you Muppet.

[d000hg]

Id be more concerned that uncontrolled breeding gives us a population that cannot be fed and famine, plague and war destroys the excess. Worrying that an uninhabitable region of the earth becomes less uninhabitable is a waste of time.

It becomes less habitable if the ice is less stable, arguably... you can't build a base on unstable ice. Read Shackleton's accounts for real-life examples

[BolshieBastard]

I hope you are right, I think though that the worry is that it will be permanent, permanently gone.

Im not aware of even the biggest champion of the global warming theory supporting that POV.

[DodgyAgent]

get lost trolling. You total numpty, real people are dying as a result of this, man made or not.

We need ecological diversity and things to eat you Muppet.

Real people are who exactly? Or are they another leftie cliche?

[Scoobos]

and you.
At least I.know I've been to these places and met and seen these people. I already know your ethos of if they don't make you money they are as good as dead to you.

Real people are the first nations of Canada, the Inuit, Alaskans, northern Labrador,the Yukon , north west territories, northern Russia etc. Taiga Net: Co-operatively run environmental and community network

I don't know why I even entertain you though DA, you talk tulip and lie for your own profit for a living.

[pjclarke]

The Nerdy Bit

The Arctic ice is climatically important because of its contribution to planetary albedo: in round numbers, ice reflects around 90% of incoming radiation, while sea absorbs around 90%. So the ice melt tends to accelerate global warming. The warmer air decreases the temperature differential between the arctic and temperate zones, which moves the jet stream, so paradoxically, a warmer Arctic may mean a rainier and snowier Europe.

The Arctic Ocean is nearly enclosed by land, and basically freezes up each winter, however the ice area remaining at the summer minimum, which occurs in September has been steadily decreasing, and will probably reach a new record low this year, after the recent severe Arctic storm. The point at which there is no arctic sea ice is more of a psychological than a climatically significant point - the sight of a dark pole where we're used to ice will be a remarkable - and undeniable - indication that the planet is warming, and it looks like it will occur sooner than almost anyone forecast.

[EternalOptimist]

meanwhile in the real world. drilling halted due to thickest ice in a decade

[pjclarke]

Your 'real world' appears to be a single spot, in the Beaufort Gyre, where the ice is subject to variable wind and currents, and you are relying on a Shell Oil spokesman. Classic. Pick a spot that is utterly unrepresentative of the real world trend and call it the 'real world'. Anthony Watts would be proud.

[BlasterBates]

30 years is too short a time to see the extent of natural ice variability.

This scientific report points out the correlation between solar activity and ice extent. Since we've had a solar maximum over the last 30 years, it is hardly surprising that the ice extent is low.

www.dmi.dk/dmi/sr05-02.pdf

Solar activity has now dramatically gone down, so it's likely at some point in the near future it will start to expand.