Sea Ice

The Incredible Shrinking Sea Ice
ByBarber, Fortier, and Byers
http://www.irpp.org/po/archive/dec05/barber.pdf

First real indication that Climatic Change is not as long-term as everywhere discussed. The Year 2050, under current projections, could see the least multi-year Ice as seen in a million years. We are losing 74,000 km squared of perennial Ice every year, and have been since first noted in 1979. The Report attests that the less refraction of seawater over refraction from Ice will cancel the impact of Greenhouse Gas absorption of the spread of Plant life in the Artic, so that the heat of the Planet Earth will actually increase. The additional Heat will incite further Climate Change.

The Report, though, goes further than a normal 'Save the Whales' type of environmental statement. There will be an expansion of animal life into the Artic, opening of a seaworthy passage some 7000 miles shorter than the route through the Panama Canal capable of potentially handling the Supertankers, and expanded Fisheries. It outlines Canada's problem of asserting territoriality.

What the Report does not fulfill is a statistical framework to evaluate the current Trend's degree of reversibility, which this Author thinks is quite high. The heating of the Ocean waters will generate more Hurricanes, while it will reduce the impact of tsunamis. Wind pattern alterations may redistribute Rainfall regions, and Snowfall will lessen because of the heat. lgl