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arctic thaw
August 2008 
Arctic Thaw May Be At Tipping Point
Posted on Sep 28th, 2007
by 
Inukshuk
Inukshuk
From the online Reuters article by Alistair Doyle, Environment Correspondent, Friday, September 28, 2007, Arctic Thaw May Be At Tipping Point:
OSLO (Reuters)--A record melt of Arctic summer sea ice this month may be a sign that global warming is reaching a critical trigger point that could accelerate the northern thaw, some scientists say.
"The reason so much (of the Arctic ice) went suddenly is that it is hitting a tipping point that we have been warning about for the past few years," James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told Reuters.
The Arctic summer sea ice shrank by more than 20 percent below the previous 2005 record low in mid-September to 4.13 million sq km (1.6 million sq miles), according to a 30-year satellite record. It has now frozen out to 4.2 million sq km.
The idea of climate tipping points -- like a see-saw that suddenly flips over when enough weight gets onto one side -- is controversial because it is little understood and dismissed by some as scaremongering about runaway effects.
The polar thaw may herald a self-sustaining acceleration that could threaten indigenous peoples and creatures such as polar bears -- as Arctic sea ice shrinks, the darker ocean soaks up ever more heat than reflective snow and ice.
In Germany, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research says Arctic sea ice "has already tipped."
continued . . .
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2815198120070928?pageNumber=1
Glacier Melt
OSLO (Reuters)--A record melt of Arctic summer sea ice this month may be a sign that global warming is reaching a critical trigger point that could accelerate the northern thaw, some scientists say.
Inuit Mother and Baby
"The reason so much (of the Arctic ice) went suddenly is that it is hitting a tipping point that we have been warning about for the past few years," James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told Reuters.
Inuit Textile Art
The Arctic summer sea ice shrank by more than 20 percent below the previous 2005 record low in mid-September to 4.13 million sq km (1.6 million sq miles), according to a 30-year satellite record. It has now frozen out to 4.2 million sq km.
Global Warming
The idea of climate tipping points -- like a see-saw that suddenly flips over when enough weight gets onto one side -- is controversial because it is little understood and dismissed by some as scaremongering about runaway effects.
Inuit Mother and Son
The polar thaw may herald a self-sustaining acceleration that could threaten indigenous peoples and creatures such as polar bears -- as Arctic sea ice shrinks, the darker ocean soaks up ever more heat than reflective snow and ice.
Inukshuk
In Germany, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research says Arctic sea ice "has already tipped."
Inuit Drum Dancer
continued . . .
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL2815198120070928?pageNumber=1
Inuit in the Arctic
Access: PublicTagged with: tipping point, climate change, global warming, Reuters, environment, arctic thaw, ice melting
