Joe.My.God. LGBT News
The Guardian reports:
Arctic sea ice fell to its lowest ever May extent, prompting fears that this year could beat 2012 for the record of worst ever summer sea ice melt. Data published by the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) this week showed average sea ice extent for last month was more than 500,000 sq km (193,000 sq miles) smaller than May 2012.
The extent of sea ice in the Arctic is one of the key indicators of global warming, and the new findings have been greeted with concern by scientists. Although it is too early to say whether this summer’s ice extent will be the lowest recorded, if current projections follow the course of previous years then it will be at least one of the lowest ever.
Warm air from Siberia and northern Europe were blamed for the decline in Arctic sea ice, which is consistent with predictions of climate change. The Arctic has warmed much faster than other regions, and the loss of sea ice is viewed as a measure of how much we are affecting the world’s climate.
A smaller ice cover reduces the planet’s reflectivity and accelerates overall warming. More from CBS News:
The center reported that May’s average ice extent is about 224,000 square miles below the previous record-low for May that was set back in 2004. It is also 537,000 square miles below the long-term average from 1981 to 2010.
The NSIDC satellite and survey data revealed that ice thicknesses in parts of the Arctic aren’t very different from those that were recorded in 2015, but what is shocking is that the entire Arctic region is thinner compared to the last five years.
These latest findings are in keeping with a year that has seen exceptional melting in the Arctic. Back in April, the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) reported that spring thaw would be coming earlier than normal. This was expected to bring a melt area that makes up 12 percent of Earth’s northernmost ice sheet.