This summer the part of the Arctic Ocean covered by sea ice was the second lowest since 1979. Because much of the ice had formed in the past winter and was relatively thin, scientists estimate that the volume of floating ice probably reached a record low. The area that the floating ice covers is at least 15% of the sea's surface which fell to 4.67 million sq km this September. "That's approximately three times the size of Alaska, but it is 9% higher than last year's record low value. It is also 34% below the average measured for September since 1979," says Walter Meier, a remote sensing analyst at the National Snow and Aice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.
I think the fact that the percentage of ice has increased is very good and that everyone should try to keep improving these numbers. If it doesn't improve, the ice in the Arctic would melt causing the sea level to rise which could create floods all over the word.
www.sciencenews.org
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Although the numbers improved from last year, the overall decrease in ice since 1979 is still very ominous. The picture in the article says it all.
Daniel's Dad
Post a Comment