In 40 years, the Arctic will be ice-free. Free Technical Library News

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In 40 years, the Arctic will lose ice

12.09.2012

The size of the ice cover in the Arctic has reached a minimum. This could cause major environmental changes - not only at the North Pole, but far beyond it. According to Louis Fortier (Laval University, Quebec, Canada), the ice sheet of the Arctic Ocean is characterized by seasonal changes in volume, while abrupt climate changes are reflected here much more than anywhere else on the planet.

Observations made over the past week suggest that the situation in 2012 is worse than in 2007, when a summer thaw completely opened the Northwest Passage for the first time on record. A daily report from the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) showed that the ice cover has decreased to 4,1 million km2. This is 70 thousand km2 less than the minimum recorded in 2007.

The decrease in the ice cover of the Arctic will lead to an increase in surface water temperatures and large emissions of heat into the atmosphere. This thermal energy generates cyclones, which, with their giant waves, can further destroy the ice cover. Scientists are no less worried about changes in the thickness of the ice. In 1979-2000 the average volume of Arctic ice in September was 12000 km3. This year - less than 3000 km3. “In other words,” says Fortier, “we are now on our way to having the Arctic Ocean completely ice-free in the summer, with 3/4 already passed. Obviously, this could have serious climatic, geopolitical and economic consequences.”

On August 5, a cyclone entered the Arctic Circle. According to Zyangdong Zhang (Fairbanks University, Alaska), such cyclones used to be rare, but now such cyclones are becoming more frequent, stronger and longer.

Changes will not be limited to the Arctic Circle. The difference between polar and tropical temperatures affects most of the earth's natural processes. For example, on air currents, currents in the oceans, the level of humidity in different parts of the planet. According to the latest forecasts, the Arctic will remain without ice for the whole summer by 2050, which will entail the most significant climate change in human history.

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