London: The Arctic ice cap has shrunk to lowest extent ever, surpassing a record set only five years ago, signalling the long-term impact of global warming. With possibly two weeks’ further melt likely before the ice reaches its minimum extent and starts to refreeze ahead of the winter, satellites showed it had shrunk to 4.1 million sq km on Sunday.
“This is an indication that the Arctic sea ice cover is fundamentally changing,” National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) scientist Walt Meier was quoted by the ‘the Guardian’ as saying. “The previous record, set in 2007, occurred because of near perfect summer weather for melting ice. Apart from one big storm in early August, weather patterns this year were unremarkable. The ice is so thin and weak now, it doesn’t matter how the winds blow,” NSIDC director, Mark Serreze was quoted by the paper.
The record is widely seen by scientists at the NSIDC and elsewhere as a strong signal of long-term climate warming. “The Arctic used to be dominated by multiyear ice, or ice that stayed around for several years,” Meier said. “Now it’s becoming more of a seasonal ice cover and large areas are now prone to melting out in summer,” said Serreze.
“These preliminary figures provide irrefutable evidence that greenhouse gas emissions leading to global warming are damaging one of the planet’s critical environments, one that helps maintain the stability of the global climate for every citizen of the world,” said Sauven.
Arctic sea ice follows an annual cycle of melting through the warm summer months and refreezing in the winter. It has shown a dramatic overall decline over the past 30 years. (PTI)
