Promoting Science and Critical Thinking
The annual Arctic Report card has been published and it spells out some rather dire facts. Global warming in the Arctic region is accelerating and 2016 has been the warmest Arctic year ever recorded. “temperatures in the region continue to climb at double the rate of the planet as a whole.“ What is the Annual … Read more
I reported earlier, a few weeks ago, that #Arctic sea ice was in a rather dire condition and that something crazy was going on because in the middle of winter it was melting. So where do things now stand, has it all turned out to be a blip and things are now back to normal, or … Read more
Fiona Harvey writes in the Guardian the following story … Arctic ice melt could trigger uncontrollable climate change at global level Scientists warn increasingly rapid melting could trigger polar ‘tipping points’ with catastrophic consequences felt as far away as the Indian Ocean She is not alone. Andrew Griffin is writing a similar story in the … Read more
The extent of sea ice in the Arctic follows a very predictable seasonal variation for rather obvious reasons. (Hint: Winter tends to be a tad cooler than summer). Right now towards the end of November the sea ice should be rapidly expanding due to the reduced winter temperature, but it is not following the normal curve. 2016 … Read more
During the summer of 1778 the famous explorer and cartographer Captain Cook was well into his third voyage of discovery. When he set sail in 1776 the public had been advised that it was to return the Pacific Islander, Omai to Tahiti, but the real motive was was to locate a Northwest Passage around the American continent. After dropping off Omai, the expedition … Read more
As we roll through the months the quantity of Arctic sea ice will of course follow natural seasonal variations. In recent decades it has been observed that it is very much in decline overall, but to some degree this Arctic sea ice loss has been balanced out by a corresponding gain of sea ice in the Antarctic, … Read more