NASA Reveals Record-Breaking Loss of Arctic Sea Ice

August saw the fastest retreat of arctic sea ice on record, according to new NASA data. During that month, sea ice melted at a rate of 32,700 square miles per day, compared with 24,400 square miles per day in 2007. The rate of decline is even more dramatic when compared with the 30-year average rate of decline, 19,700 miles per day.

The accelerated seasonal retreat of sea ice surprised NASA scientists, who expected a more moderate retreat on the tail of a la Niña year. Moreover, the data show that one cold year, when sea ice levels are able return to normal, is not enough to counter the long-term melting of the arctic.

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“I was not expecting that ice cover at the end of summer this year would be as bad as 2007 because winter ice cover was almost normal,” said Joey Comiso of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “We saw a lot of cooling in the Arctic that we believe was associated with La Niña. Sea ice in Canada had recovered and even expanded in the Bering Sea and Baffin Bay. Overall, sea ice recovered to almost average levels. That was a good sign that this year might not be as bad as last year.”

The rapid melt in August brought sea ice to the second lowest level on record. From 1979 to 2000, the average area of sea ice left after the summer retreat was 6.7 million square km (2.6 million square miles). As of September 12, 2008, NASA recorded 33% less sea ice than this running average. Arctic sea ice had diminished to an area of 4.5 million square km (1.74 million square miles). The only year on record with less total arctic sea ice was 2007.

Researchers conclude that if the rate of arctic sea ice disappearance continues as it has been for the last three decades, the arctic will melt completely within this century. If that happens, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and coral records anticipate a worldwide sea level rise of between 11 and 20 feet.

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Source: NASA via Science Daily.

Photo source: NASA.

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