Arctic Sea Ice
Category archives for Arctic Sea Ice
Are we witnessing an Arctic Sea meltdown, right now?
Posted by Greg Laden on February 24, 2016 
The Arctic Sea freezes over. The Arctic Sea melts. This happens every year. The average date for the maximum extent of Arctic Sea ice, based on a period of 1981-2010, is March 12. The minimum extent is reached, on average, about September 15h. Every year for the last several years, the minimum ice has been…
The Arctic is Hot: New minimum sea ice cover for the date
Posted by Greg Laden on January 6, 2016 
… and not in a good way. The Arctic has, of course, been warming in step with anthropogenic global warming, plus more. This phenomenon has probably increased disruption to global weather systems, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, over the last decade or so. But something somewhat novel is happening this year, presumably as a result…
Weather, Climate Change, and Related Matters in 2015
Posted by Greg Laden on December 28, 2015 
I had considered writing an accounting of all the outlandish weather events of 2015, but that project quickly became a tl:dr list of untoward happenings which is both alarming and a bit boring, since it is so long. So, I decided to generate something less comprehensive, focusing more on the context and meaning of the…
Arctic Sea Ice in 2015
Posted by Greg Laden on October 5, 2015 
Every year the sea ice that covers the northern part of the Earth expands and contracts though the winter and the summer. The minimum extent of the sea ice is usually reached some time in September, after which it starts to reform. Human caused greenhouse gas pollution has increased the surface temperatures of the earth,…
Arctic Sea Ice Minimum: Achievement Unlocked
Posted by Greg Laden on September 15, 2015 
The National Snow & Ice Data Center has declared that the Arctic Sea ice extent has reached its annual minimum and is now starting to expand. I was thinking that it was too early to say this, since in past years what looks like a minimum can sometimes be reversed by some additional melting. But…
Arctic Sea Ice Extent Is Not Extensive
Posted by Greg Laden on September 13, 2015 
September is when the melt of the Arctic Sea Ice stops, and the re-freeze starts. We are probably not at the minimum yet, but the amount of melting is starting to level off so we can see where we are. The above graphic, made here (go and play with the interactive graph) shows the first…
Arctic Sea Ice Decline in 2015
Posted by Greg Laden on May 26, 2015 
The surface ice in the Arctic has been melting to historic low levels every year for the last several years. The graph above shows the first ten years in the National Snow & Ice Data Center records, meant to indicate what Arctic Sea Ice “normally” does as it melts off during the northern warm months.…
Arctic Sea Ice Extent
Posted by Greg Laden on October 23, 2014 
Arctic Sea Ice extent continues to be a problem. This year, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, ARctic Sea ice reached its lowest extent this year on September 17th, which is about the sixth lowest extent on record, following a multi-year trend of decline. There is variation from year to year. This…
How Melty Was The Arctic Sea This Year?
Posted by Greg Laden on September 28, 2014 
The Arctic Sea is covered with ice during the winter, and some of it melts off every summer. Over recent years the amount of melt has been increasing. This is the time of year we may want to look at Arctic Sea ice because by late September it has reached its annual minimum and is…
I hereby challenge YOU ALL to this Ice Bucket Challenge.
Posted by Greg Laden on September 6, 2014 
This is Andy Robinson of the Sea Ice Graphics Put up or … dump water on your head!