Arctic's sea ice is melting because of climate change and spring and summer season. Fortunately, winter season is fast approaching, which will significantly lessen melting. However, it will not help saving the ice. It is only a meantime solution to a long-term damage.
2016 is seeing the second lowest ice extent, Alternet reported.
"It's tied with 2007 as the second-lowest (extent)," said Julienne Stroeve, a senior research scientist with the Snow and Ice Data Center on the NSIDC's journal regarding climate change (via Kuac). It should be noted that this is just a preliminary announcement.
Stroeve continued, "And when you look at what's happening with Arctic sea ice, this is a long-term trend that we're seeing, and we're on that trajectory of having an Arctic that's ice-free in summers."
Discovering The Real Condition Of The Arctic
Ice melting caused the Northwage Passage to open up, according to reports. This allowed a luxury cruise from Anchorage, Alaska to pass through up to New York. Moreover, a storm that recently passed through turned ice near in North Pole thin and brittle.
For the past seven months, the sea ice is in its most criticial form. The level of sea ice last August was striking. "The texture of the ice can be comparable to curdled milk or exploded pillow," according to Amelia Urry, associate editor of Grist, a science and technology website.
According to DotEarth, the rapid decline is mostly due to the rise in air temperatures. The rate at which the Arctic is warming is roughly twice as fast as the world's average, which when added to other natural occurence such as ocean warming and wind patterns, contribute to the diminishing ice extent.
"There is no point in the past 150 years where sea ice extent is as small as it has been in recent years," said Florence Fetterer, a Snow and Ice Data Center principal investigator.
NSIDC has promised a "full analysis of the Arctic melt season" in early October, which will also see a discussion about the winter sea ice growth on the Antarctic.
