All downhill from here

[Old Rocks]

Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis

March 23, 2011
Annual maximum ice extent reached
Arctic sea ice extent appeared to reach its maximum extent for the year on March 7, marking the beginning of the melt season. This year's maximum tied for the lowest in the satellite record. NSIDC will release a detailed analysis of the 2010 to 2011 winter sea ice conditions during the second week of April.

Figure 1. Arctic sea ice extent on March 7 was 14.64 million square kilometers (5.65 million square miles). The orange line shows the 1979 to 2000 median extent for that day. The black cross indicates the geographic North Pole. Sea Ice Index data. About the data.
—Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center

High-resolution image
Overview of conditions

On March 7, 2011, Arctic sea ice likely reached its maximum extent for the year, at 14.64 million square kilometers (5.65 million square miles). The maximum extent was 1.2 million square kilometers (463,000 square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average of 15.86 million square kilometers (6.12 million square miles), and equal (within 0.1%) to 2006 for the lowest maximum extent in the satellite record.

 

[Chris]

We are melting the polar ice cap.

I wonder where that will lead.

 

[Oddball]

 

[Finnguy]

I think during my lifetime, the ice cap will be gone. Hopefully I can see some of it before it is gone. Hopefully we can change our ways and help restore and lower the world temperature. Our consumer lifestyles have accelerated global warming past the natural ups and downs that normally cause it.

 

[westwall]

We are melting the polar ice cap.

I wonder where that will lead.

Oh I doubt that. Seems there is some multi year ice getting pretty damned thick. The Arctic will continue to improve and in the next few years it will be the largest extent ever measured by satellite.....natural and normal.


“Some of the ice we crossed was really thick multi-year ice that was just too thick to drill through. Our drill goes to four and a half metres and it wasn’t breaking through. In other areas we were able to drop our measuring devices down to a depth of 200 metres below the floating ice.”



Explorers Reach Ice Base | Catlin Arctic Survey

 

[westwall]

I think during my lifetime, the ice cap will be gone. Hopefully I can see some of it before it is gone. Hopefully we can change our ways and help restore and lower the world temperature. Our consumer lifestyles have accelerated global warming past the natural ups and downs that normally cause it.

Ummmm, no we havn't. The Medieval Warming Period was much warmer and the planet prospered in all areas, flora, fauna, and of course mankind.

 

[Old Rocks]

Has Arctic sea ice returned to normal?

Currently, websites such as Watts Up With That are using sea ice extent in 2010 to claim Arctic sea ice has returned back to normal. A few days ago, Watts claimed that we had "more ice than any time on this date for the past 8 years". On the contrary, in March 2010, the total Arctic sea ice volume was 20,300 km3 - the lowest March value for total sea ice volume over the 1979-2009 period. Those who claim Arctic sea ice has returned to normal are focussing at the thin shell at the top and neglecting the steadily thinning sea ice below.

The data here was taken from the University of Washington's Polar Ice Center


Polar Science Center » Arctic Sea Ice Volume Anomaly

 

[Old Rocks]

I think during my lifetime, the ice cap will be gone. Hopefully I can see some of it before it is gone. Hopefully we can change our ways and help restore and lower the world temperature. Our consumer lifestyles have accelerated global warming past the natural ups and downs that normally cause it.

Ummmm, no we havn't. The Medieval Warming Period was much warmer and the planet prospered in all areas, flora, fauna, and of course mankind.

That is not what real scientists state. Remember, you posted this site from the Woods Hole Institute. And what a good site it is.


Image : New Temperature Reconstruction from Indo-Pacific Warm Pool : Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Sea surface temperature reconstructions from the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool. Different colored symbols indicate data from different cores used in the reconstruction. A northern hemisphere temperature reconstruction from Mann et al. (2008) is shown in the black curve. The previously published data is from Newton et al. (2006). Colored lines are the average of the data points. Triangles at the bottom of the figure show where age control exists. The horizontal black line labeled 1997-2007 Mean Annual SST shows the value of the annual average sea surface temperature for the same time period. The Little Ice Age, which occurred around A.D. 1700, was a cool period, but its magnitude was only about 0.5 to 1˚C cooler than modern winter temperatures. Water temperature during the late Medieval Warm Period, between about A.D. 1000 to 1250, was within error of modern annual sea surface temperatures. (Oppo, Rosenthal, Linsley; 2009)

 

[Sallow]

I think during my lifetime, the ice cap will be gone. Hopefully I can see some of it before it is gone. Hopefully we can change our ways and help restore and lower the world temperature. Our consumer lifestyles have accelerated global warming past the natural ups and downs that normally cause it.

Ummmm, no we havn't. The Medieval Warming Period was much warmer and the planet prospered in all areas, flora, fauna, and of course mankind.

That is not what real scientists state. Remember, you posted this site from the Woods Hole Institute. And what a good site it is.


Image : New Temperature Reconstruction from Indo-Pacific Warm Pool : Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Sea surface temperature reconstructions from the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool. Different colored symbols indicate data from different cores used in the reconstruction. A northern hemisphere temperature reconstruction from Mann et al. (2008) is shown in the black curve. The previously published data is from Newton et al. (2006). Colored lines are the average of the data points. Triangles at the bottom of the figure show where age control exists. The horizontal black line labeled 1997-2007 Mean Annual SST shows the value of the annual average sea surface temperature for the same time period. The Little Ice Age, which occurred around A.D. 1700, was a cool period, but its magnitude was only about 0.5 to 1˚C cooler than modern winter temperatures. Water temperature during the late Medieval Warm Period, between about A.D. 1000 to 1250, was within error of modern annual sea surface temperatures. (Oppo, Rosenthal, Linsley; 2009)

I have a good friend that works at the Woods Hole institute. He's a pretty conservative fellow and he say's the weather is screwed. He sees whats going on up close and personal.

Oh..and his wife is having twins!

 

[Trajan]

I have several good friends that are in a position to 'know' and they say its overwrought and there's not a con. among them...

 

[Old Rocks]

Overwrought in what way? That we are not seeing a melting of the ice caps, both sea and continental? That we are not seeing the beginning of the arctic clathrates outgassing? That we are not seeing major CH4 and CO2 releases from the permafrost? That these feedbacks will not accelerate the accumulation of the GHGs in the atmosphere?

 

[Sallow]

I have several good friends that are in a position to 'know' and they say its overwrought and there's not a con. among them...

Hmm..they work there?

My friend lives in Hyannis..near Cape Cod.

 

[Trajan]

I have several good friends that are in a position to 'know' and they say its overwrought and there's not a con. among them...

Hmm..they work there?

My friend lives in Hyannis..near Cape Cod.

No, they don't work there. Who said they work there?

 

[whitehall]

Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis

March 23, 2011
Annual maximum ice extent reached
Arctic sea ice extent appeared to reach its maximum extent for the year on March 7, marking the beginning of the melt season. This year's maximum tied for the lowest in the satellite record. NSIDC will release a detailed analysis of the 2010 to 2011 winter sea ice conditions during the second week of April.

Figure 1. Arctic sea ice extent on March 7 was 14.64 million square kilometers (5.65 million square miles). The orange line shows the 1979 to 2000 median extent for that day. The black cross indicates the geographic North Pole. Sea Ice Index data. About the data.
—Credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center

High-resolution image
Overview of conditions

On March 7, 2011, Arctic sea ice likely reached its maximum extent for the year, at 14.64 million square kilometers (5.65 million square miles). The maximum extent was 1.2 million square kilometers (463,000 square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average of 15.86 million square kilometers (6.12 million square miles), and equal (within 0.1%) to 2006 for the lowest maximum extent in the satellite record.

A little premature to predict doomsday while using qualifiers like "likely reached" and using "satelite records" which aren't even a literal drop in the geological bucket. Fortunately for humanity we are in between solar ice ages which are all too frequent and a thousand times more deadly than the nice weather we are enjoying today. In case you haven't noticed, America is in a economic meltdown which is escalating faster and far more devistating than the scenario that the political scientists predict. Under a neo-socialist regime America is selling it's treasure and the future of our grandkids to oil producing nations while pseudo-scientists predict the end of the world because of America's alleged decadance and reliance on oil. It's insane to subscribe to the doomsday scenario that pseudo scientists on government grants predict while America is an economic free-fall and forced to buy oil while our neo-socialist regime promises a emotional substitute for oil that doesn't exist.

 

[Old Rocks]

Whitehall;

A little premature to predict doomsday while using qualifiers like "likely reached" and using "satelite records" which aren't even a literal drop in the geological bucket.

Homo Saps existance of about 200,000 years is hardly a drop in the geological bucket. However, no one is predicting immediate doom. What is being pointed out, that in spite of the lowest Total Solar Irridiance measured since we have had the ability to measure it, the ice continues to melt, and the same for the permafrost.

Fortunately for humanity we are in between solar ice ages which are all too frequent and a thousand times more deadly than the nice weather we are enjoying today. In case you haven't noticed, America is in a economic meltdown which is escalating faster and far more devistating than the scenario that the political scientists predict.

Political Scientists? Climate is not in the realm of political science. It is atmospheric physics. So who are the political scientists to whom you are refering?

Under a neo-socialist regime America is selling it's treasure and the future of our grandkids to oil producing nations while pseudo-scientists predict the end of the world because of America's alleged decadance and reliance on oil. It's insane to subscribe to the doomsday scenario that pseudo scientists on government grants predict while America is an economic free-fall and forced to buy oil while our neo-socialist regime promises a emotional substitute for oil that doesn't exist.

Hmmm...... A bit hard to tranlate that hodpodge of ranting into anything meaningful. So what you are saying is that these scientists are forcing us to buy oil, and are telling us that we should be looking for other forms of energy? And that is very bad? Bad that they are forcing us to buy the oil? Bad that they are telling us that we should be looking for other forms of energy?

 

[whitehall]

Whitehall;

A little premature to predict doomsday while using qualifiers like "likely reached" and using "satelite records" which aren't even a literal drop in the geological bucket.

Homo Saps existance of about 200,000 years is hardly a drop in the geological bucket. However, no one is predicting immediate doom. What is being pointed out, that in spite of the lowest Total Solar Irridiance measured since we have had the ability to measure it, the ice continues to melt, and the same for the permafrost.

Fortunately for humanity we are in between solar ice ages which are all too frequent and a thousand times more deadly than the nice weather we are enjoying today. In case you haven't noticed, America is in a economic meltdown which is escalating faster and far more devistating than the scenario that the political scientists predict.

Political Scientists? Climate is not in the realm of political science. It is atmospheric physics. So who are the political scientists to whom you are refering?

Under a neo-socialist regime America is selling it's treasure and the future of our grandkids to oil producing nations while pseudo-scientists predict the end of the world because of America's alleged decadance and reliance on oil. It's insane to subscribe to the doomsday scenario that pseudo scientists on government grants predict while America is an economic free-fall and forced to buy oil while our neo-socialist regime promises a emotional substitute for oil that doesn't exist.

Hmmm...... A bit hard to tranlate that hodpodge of ranting into anything meaningful. So what you are saying is that these scientists are forcing us to buy oil, and are telling us that we should be looking for other forms of energy? And that is very bad? Bad that they are forcing us to buy the oil? Bad that they are telling us that we should be looking for other forms of energy?

I'm saying that academic science grants are likely to reach whatever conclusion that keeps the money flowing. The private sector will come up with alternate sources of energy sooner or later but it ain't happnin in five or ten or twenty years. In the meantime our neo-socialist president and the drones on the democrat party continue to tell their loyal and emotional followers that "oil is evil" while selling our grandkids future to oil producing countries. The disconnect seems to be that lefties either consciously or unconsciously think America's alleged decadence is the cause of weather inconsistiencies and the melting ice on the polar ice caps will be fixed if the US influence in the world is reduced to 3rd world status.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

We are melting the polar ice cap.

I wonder where that will lead.

Economic prosperity for far northern Canada and Alaska, and lower shipping costs, and a faster transit from Atlantic to Pacific ports?

 

[Chris]

We are melting the polar ice cap.

I wonder where that will lead.

Economic prosperity for far northern Canada and Alaska, and lower shipping costs, and a faster transit from Atlantic to Pacific ports?

Rising seas and flooded cities as well.

 

[westwall]

We are melting the polar ice cap.

I wonder where that will lead.

Economic prosperity for far northern Canada and Alaska, and lower shipping costs, and a faster transit from Atlantic to Pacific ports?

Rising seas and flooded cities as well.

Maybe. There are a lot of cities that are allready below sea level, they seem to be doing OK and have done so for hundreds of years. I would think that modern man with all of the technological advantages we have would be able to handle whatever comes quite handily.

 

[skookerasbil]

We are melting the polar ice cap.

I wonder where that will lead.

Well this is for sure..........not the green economy you want s0n!!! Cant afford it based upon a fcukking hail mary pass guess. Nobody believes in the "man made" part anymore s0n...........

We might get a green economy..........but you and all the other k00ks will be in your boxes a long, long time before that happens!!!


Stupid morons have no clue how intrisically tied this temperature shit is to politics. This global warming BS should be in the "POLITICS" section OR the "GENERAL" section. Its no longer an "environmental" issue. It is flat lined in congress and will be for another 9 years at a minimum. ( House in GOP hands for 9 years)