Ice Melting in the Arctic Is Increasing
24.08.2005 - Other
A report issued by the Arctic System Science Committee in the framework of the Arctic System Science program of the National Science Foundation (USA) states that ice melting in the Arctic is increasing and that no known natural process is likely to change that trend.
Scientists examined how the Arctic environment and climate interact and how that system would respond as global temperatures rise. The researchers said there are two major feedback systems influencing the region - ocean circulation in the North Atlantic and the amount of precipitation and evaporation that takes place.
Feedback can accelerate changes in the system, they said. For example, the white sea ice reflects solar radiation back into space, but as the ice melts the dark water will absorb some of the light, warming and melting more ice.
"I think probably the biggest surprise of the meeting was that no one could envision any interaction between the components that would act naturally to stop the trajectory to the new system," Overpeck said.
In addition to sea and land ice melting, Overpeck said that the frozen soil layer called permafrost will melt and eventually disappear in some areas. That could release additional greenhouse gases stored in the permafrost for thousands of years, he said.
These findings were published in Tuesday's issue of Eos, the weekly newspaper of the American Geophysical Union.
