Record ice loss in Arctic

dohboi · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Dec 05, 2005 Posts: 1271

Look at the most recent drop on the long graph at cryosphere today.

cryosphere today long graph

It takes some carefull measuring, but it looks to me from this graph that we are now below the ice coverage of last year at this time. Could this be another false reading or artifact of the technology rather than a real drop? If we are already below last year at this point and last year was the all time record by a long shot...well, I don't know what to say.

It is my understanding that in any case we are far below last year at this year for total ice mass, which is really the more important comparison than mere coverage. Where can the best data on this be found?

Triffin · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 4:35 pm Post subject: Re: Record ice loss in Arctic

Once the water warms .. all the 'annual' thin ice should
pretty much melt simultaneously just as it all freezes
in the fall .. The thing to watch is the melt rate and 'motion'
of the perennial ice ..

Ever witness a lake on freeze up ?? It all goes at once;
literally overnight ..

Triff ..

Troyboy1208 · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 4:43 pm Post subject: Re: Record ice loss in Arctic

If you look at the 30 day animation from the website you can see that near the Canada coast the 100% ice is slowly rotating clockwise. How can that be if its 100% ice? Its the same area that saw the dramatic loss of multiyear ice. My theory is that all that ice that is lingering in the Bering straits is actually ice coming out of the arctic basin. If you look at previous years the straits are often clear by now and yet there is a persistant mass of ice apparently cut off from the main ice pack. I think this is a conglomeration of ice that is being "flushed" out of the arctic basin.

dohboi · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Dec 05, 2005 Posts: 1271

Troyboy, that fits in well with the BBC report I linked to above about vast cracks in the old ice. Good theory. I wonder if there's any way to test it.

In any case, if the old icemass is cracking and rotating, it does not sound very stable. Things are not looking good here, folks.

What I don't get is, why is it just us geeks who are absorbed with this stuff. Shouldn't the whole world be watching in wonder and horror with us as the world's cap of ice starts what is looking like its final collapse? What is wrong with the world?

EnergyUnlimited · Fusion Joined: May 15, 2006 Posts: 3122

dohboi · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Dec 05, 2005 Posts: 1271

Good point. How could I forget that there are other reactions than wonder and horror, like drooling, greedy glee.

This is about the time that ice coverage fell off a cliff last year. The next few days should be telling.

Troyboy1208 · Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 2:02 pm Post subject: Re: Record ice loss in Arctic

And they have...I just looked at the 365 day daily graph and we are now below coverage for last year. Not by a huge amount, but it is significant. This has been amazing and terrifying to watch. I wonder when Greenland will pick up its meltspeed. I have to think with less insulation in the sea for longer periods of time it will feel the effect of that.

Here you go:

dohboi · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Dec 05, 2005 Posts: 1271

I'm not sure which graph you mean by that. Could you give the link?

sjn · Posted: Thu May 29, 2008 5:29 pm Post subject: Re: Record ice loss in Arctic

dohboi · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Dec 05, 2005 Posts: 1271

Oh, they will. Just look at the idiocy on other threads---"Mars is melting, too..."

There is no single event nor any series of events that will pull a confirmed denier out of his denial. Deep denial is not based on rationality in the first place, so is not subject to rational argumentation or evidence.

Thanks for the chart, Troyboy. Is it the anomaly graph at the bottom that is most telling for you?

Cid_Yama · Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 12:33 am Post subject: Re: Record ice loss in Arctic

It's going to be interesting to see the denialists explain that one away!

You know it's the alien cocktail party. We are talking the biggest party you've ever seen. They've run out of ice and the Arctic was the closest source.
_________________
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

Cabrone · Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 5:07 am Post subject: Re: Record ice loss in Arctic

FreddyH · Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject: Re: Record ice loss in Arctic

Troyboy1208 · Posted: Fri May 30, 2008 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: Record ice loss in Arctic

I agree with Ol Freddy on this one. We wont see an ice free arctic this year. However it will be very close to the low from last year or even greater. Unless we have some weather intervention then we might stave off a new record. Judging by what I have seen over the last month or so I am highly disturbed.

dohboi · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Dec 05, 2005 Posts: 1271

FH wrote: "consensus here is for an "ice-free arctic" "

I have seen no one here claim that they were sure there would be an "ice-free arctic" this summer. How do get the idea there is a consensus on a claim that no one here as made as any kind of certainty. You may well be right about the percentage left this summer, but can you absolutely rule out an "ice-free arctic"?

Why come here and wildly misrepresent what others are saying? Does it give you some kind of ego boost? Well, hey, if you need that, man, I guess you should get it where you can.