Arctic Sea Ice Research Paper

As important as it is, Arctic coastal sea ice plays a vital role in dynamics of the coastline, covers stretches of open water which serve as important biological habitats, and serves as a platform for a broad range of activities by residents and industries (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Sea ice is also important because it is used as a platform for harvesting seals and whales in spring, transport of personnel and supplies to camps, and as a network of trails (Druckenmiller et al., 2009). Dangerous effects of climate change include “ice breakouts” which are when large chunks of ice that whalers are using as working areas break off of the main ice blocks and take whaling camps out to sea (Druckenmiller et al.,

The rate of retreat and the rate of thinning in all seasons considerably surpassed the forecasts of most models (Wadhams, 2012). According to Barber et al. (2009) investigation of thermodynamic oceanic contributions to sea-ice thickness specifies that longer summer melt season, a decrease in multi-year and ridged ice, and warmer Atlantic water account for continued thinning of the Arctic Ocean sea ice. “Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has been in retreat, the annual-averaged rate speeded up to 10.7% per decade from 1996 onwards” (Wadhams, 2012). According to Bring and Georgia 2013, new model predictions, the summer sea ice disappearance within 20–30 years. At the same time, submarine sonar measurements have revealed that the ice has been thinning much more rapidly. (Wadhams,

According to Alina Bradford’s article “Effects of Global Earming”, one of the most dramatic effects of global warming is the reduction in Arctic sea ice. The average temperatures in the Arctic region are rising twice as fast as they are when comparing to other places in the world. The ice in Arctic is getting thinner, melting and rupturing. The polar ice cap as a whole is shrinking. According to the images from NASA satellites show that the area of permanent ice cover is contracting at a rate of 9 percent each ten years. If the ice melting at this rate, Arctic could become ice-free in the summers by the end of the century. As global temperatures continue to rise, ice in the polar regions and glaciers will melt, dumping tons of extra water into the ocean which cause sea level to rise. According to the data in the article “Causes of Sea Level Rise: What the Science Tells Us”, “Global average sea level rose roughly eight inches from 1880-2009 and the average annual rate of global sea level rise accelerated from 1993-2008, increasing 65-90 percent above the twentieth century average”. Sea level rise means potable water will decrease. Although about 71% of the earth surface is covered by water, but 97% of the water is salt water. Ice melting will only increase the yield of sea salt water. People cannot drink the water from the sea because there are too much salt in it. Although because of the

The Arctic Circle runs through the far north of Canada. This is considered the Canadian Arctic. The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. “The Arctic Circle, incidentally, is an imaginary line located at 66º, 30'N latitude, and as a guide defines the southernmost part of the Arctic. The climate within the Circle is very cold and much of the area is always covered with ice. (World Atlas) Although this is the case, the position of the Arctic Circle is not fixed. It directly depends on the Earth's axial tilt.

As Earth’s surface temperature rises, the ocean also becomes hotter which results in an increase in sea level and decrease in Earth’s ice. “The oceans have absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 700 meters of ocean showing warming of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969” (“Climate Change: How Do We Know?”). Since greenhouse gases are trapping energy from the sun, the oceans absorb more heat which ultimately increases surface temperature. Oceans are able to absorb large amounts of heat energy because water has a greater heat capacity than air. As oceans become warmer, the frozen water on Earth melts at an accelerated pace. The thickness of Arctic Sea ice has dramatically declined throughout the last several decades. “Arctic sea ice

I was thinking that the question is talking about a great ice sheet, not the glacial ages. An ice sheet form where snow falls during winter and does not completely melt in summer. Therefore, there is a sort of balance between the ice melted in the sea and the snow deposited on the ice sheet, by keeping the sea level relatively

Recently, arctic sea ice has been melting due to global warming. In 1984, there was 1.86 square kilometers of “old sea ice” and now there is only 110,000 square kilometers of the “old sea ice.” usually, as the atmosphere gets warmer, the new ice melts faster but the old ice is not melted away completely. Now, the old ice is getting weaker and melting faster due to global warming/climate change. This is an issue because as the earth gets hotter, the old ice will no longer get thicker, which helped keep ice on the sea. If there is no old ice, there is a chance that there will be no sea ice at all.

A recent study has shown that Arctic Sea ice could disappear entirely by the summer of 2045.[4] Less than 30 years away, this date is far sooner than other models have predicted, which places our planet in dire need of reform. The reason this date is closer than previously thought is because of a breakthrough in how CO2 and sea ice loss relate to each other.

Ice is one of the first indicators of global warming actually occuring and it is important for research to be done on these layers of before they disappear. The recession of glaciers and the fragmentation of ice caps has been a clear sign to many that rising temperatures are having an impact, even on our very lives.

Arctic sea levels are increasing by a lot and are predicting to change global climate and precipitation patterns. Melting ice is expected to cause ocean water to speed up and oceans water to rise. This will cause some areas of land to be affected from the rise in sea level. Global warming is caused by human activities like burning fossil fuel, deforestation and farming.

The Arctic Ocean is some five million square miles of barren ice and frigid water roughly the size of Russia that lies at northernmost point of our planet. However this portion of the planet is soon to be one of conflict, to be fought with words and lengthy jurisdictional claims, as the Arctic contains portions of Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States. But who would want this megalithic ice flow and swath of ocean? Due to climate change the Arctic has begun to reveal its potential as a vast petroleum and natural gas source (estimated to be an eighth of the world’s untapped oil and a quarter of its gas by the USGS) and the location of valuable shipping routes between China and Europe. However there

This absorption causes ocean acidification as well as the receding of the ice. These effects cause changes in weather patterns and ocean currents. Specific to the Arctic Ocean, the ice provides a living area for animals as well as an extension of the land for the people living in the Artic. This new extension of land allows the people of the Artic to fish for marine mammals and to travel further. Because of the absorption of CO2, the ocean’s surface temperature rises, causing the melting of the ice.

The polar oceans are two of the most desolate areas on Earth and are home to many well adapted animals. The Arctic Ocean is the north part of the polar region and the Southern Ocean or Antarctic Ocean is in the south polar region. The polar oceans are different from other oceans because for most of the year they are covered with ice and have unique animals. Seawater from polar regions because it is colder and when the water freezes the water gets saltier because the salt does not freeze. The denser seawater sinks to the bottom of the ocean. It travels out of the polar regions in slow currents that travel around the bottom of the world’s oceans as part of the pattern of global ocean circulation called thermohaline circulation(Gardiner 2007).

The video provides some insight with satellite imagery in the form of zone coloring with the arctic ice environment being describable in temperature and moistening terms. This is in addition to physical parameters as a great bearing on the structures of life in their ability of inhabitation of certain region. The arctic ice environment is shown to comprise of living organisms on earth emanating from the provision of life as observed in tropical forests as well as the world's photosynthetic phytoplankton within the oceans.

Science shows that human influence extends beyond average temperature increase to other aspects of the climate. These influences have contributed to changes in wind patterns affecting tropical storm temperature and patterns, increased the risk of heat waves, contributed to sea level rise during the late 1900’s, increased the frequency of heavy precipitation events, and variations in winter and summer night and day temperatures. Due to these and other climatic changes the warming has been discovered to be greatest over land and at most high northern latitudes. The reduction of snow covered areas, and the decrease of sea ice extent is also a major indicator of climate change. Arctic late summer sea ice disappears almost in its entirety during warmer summer months creating a