Although US politicians continue to bicker and argue over the extent of global warming — or in some cases whether global warming exists at all — the scientific evidence continues to mount. The Associated Press is reporting that NASA satellite data shows that the summer of 2007 broke all previous records for melting ice in Arctic regions of the world.
In Greenland, for example, the perennial ice sheet melted at a greater rate this summer that ever before in recorded history. NASA climate scientist, Jay Zwalley, expressed concerns that virtually all ice in the Arctic Ocean could be melted as early as 2012. This prediction is certainly cause for alarm, as scientists begin to see a speeding up of the melting process.
Just a few years ago, scientists like Zwalley were estimating that the Arctic ice sheets could melt as soon as 2040, but new evidence suggests that the change could take place much faster than that.
The Arctic is important as a measuring stick for planetary climate change, and most climatologists agree that the melting of Arctic ice in recent years will have a detrimental effect on the planet’s climate. Already, the melting ice in Greenland and the Arctic are affecting wildlife; more than 6000 walruses migrated to the mainland of Northwest Alaska this October, something never seen before.
Altogether, a record 552 billion tons of ice was lost from the Greenland ice sheet this summer, according to NASA satellite footage. The total was approximately 15% more than other recent summers, including 2005’s record year for melting ice.
The displacement of so much solid ice into the ocean is a major concern, as Arctic ice sheets reflect an enormous amount of solar radiation. The more the ice melts, the less radiation is reflected back out into space, resulting in higher average temperatures on land and at sea.
The rising temperature of ocean water caused by this effect begins to have a spiraling effect; the warmer the ocean water becomes, the quicker the ice melts. And the more the ice melts, the warmer the water becomes. Scientists around the world are concerned about this vicious cycle of warming and melting, and are beginning to bring greater and greater pressure on politicians and world leaders to take action to eliminate the root causes of the problem.
Unfortunately, it is the root causes of global warming that cause the most controversy. The majority of climatologists in the world view the burning of fossil fuels as a major cause of the climate change we are now beginning to experience. But there are still people who disagree with this analysis — especially politicians — who claim to see no clear link between global warming and the burning of fuels that produces carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
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I am not sure if that is a clear sign of global warming.
Comment by Dr. Ethiopia — January 12, 2008 @ 8:02 pm