An ice sheet the size of Manhattan breaks off from Canada. Derek Mueller, an Arctic ice shelf specialist at Trent University in Ontario, told The Associated Press that the 4,500-year-old Markham Ice Shelf separated in early August and the 19-square-mile shelf is now adrift in the Arctic Ocean.
And in other news:
After melting of the polar ice cap turned the fabled northwest passage into reality last year, climatologists were eager to see whether the record low of about 1.6 million square miles would be duplicated again this summer. After a colder than normal winter, that seemed unlikely.
After a slow start, the seasonal ice retreat has now reached 2 million square miles, and could break the record before the Arctic begins winter cooling in mid-September. Already, some areas bordering North America and Siberia have less ice than at the same time last year. In other areas, ice is thinning.
Once under way, the melting is a self-perpetuating phenomenon. White ice cover reflects sunlight back into space, darker open water absorbs heat and gets warmer, melting yet more ice.
The vanishing ice is considered one of the smoking guns indicating that global warming caused by industrial emissions of carbon dioxide is proceeding at a faster pace than predicted by a United Nations commission. While its projections would have the Arctic free of summer ice by 2030, scientists are now predicting that could happen within four or five years.
CR4 Admin Note 9/10/08 -
Hey Everyone,
Keep the tone in this discussion reasonable. There is some good topical debate here. I realize this is an issue that raises the passions of many, but keep it friendly and keep it focused on the matter at hand.
Also, don't mark someone's post as off-topic just because you disagree with it. That's not the purpose of the system - and your ability to rate posts can be removed.
- Chris
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