Rapidly Shrinking Arctic Ice Could Spell Trouble for the Rest of the World

While the polluters look for excuses and pseudo solutions in Australia the arctic ice is fast disappearing bringing drastic climate change in its wake.

Rapidly Shrinking Arctic Ice Could Spell Trouble for the Rest of the World: "Rapidly Shrinking Arctic Ice Could Spell Trouble for the Rest of the World
by Robert S. Boyd

WASHINGTON - Alarmed by an accelerating loss of ice in the Arctic Ocean, scientists are striving to understand why the speedup is happening and what it means for humankind.

If present trends continue, as seems likely, the sea surrounding the North Pole will be completely free of ice in the summertime within the lifetime of a child born today. The loss could point the way to radical changes in the Earth's climate and weather systems.


Bright white ice reflects sunlight from the Earth’s surface. In contrast, open water is very dark, and absorbs sunlight. As sea ice melts more water is exposed, which tends to increase warming. (Photograph courtesy NOAA Photo Library)
Some researchers, such as Ron Lindsay, an Arctic scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle, fear that the polar region already may have passed a 'tipping point' from which it can't recover in the foreseeable future."