Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumMid-June And Cracks 1-3 Miles Wide Opening North Of Greenland; 54F At 80 Degrees North
The Arctic sea ice is breaking up to the north of Greenland during June. Its the fossil fuel burning global dystopia phrase of the day. Another cognitive dissonance producing instance of something that would have never happened without the added heat kick provided by human-forced climate change. But now, with atmospheric CO2 topping out at near 408 ppm during May of this year, it appears that all sorts of weather weirdness is currently possible.
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(1-3 mile wide cracks appear in the sea ice north of Greenland in this NASA satellite shot on June 19 of 2016. For reference, bottom edge of frame is 400 miles. Image source: LANCE MODIS.)
It was an odd break-up spurred by the onrush of warm winds rising up from Continental North America. These winds of climate change fueled record temperatures as they crossed the northern islands of the Canadian Archipelago over the past week. On Axel Heiburg Island, temperatures hit near 54 degrees F (12.3 C) along the 80 degree North Latitude line. Readings that are about 15-20 degrees F (7 to 12 C) above average for this time of year and highly anomalous readings for what should be a permanently frozen island.
These southerly winds then bore the record warm to near record warm airs across a region just north of Greenland pushing temperatures over this section of the Arctic Ocean into the mid to upper 30s. This extra heat was then enough to shatter the thinning ice. 1-3 Mile wide cracks opened up as the ice drifted off its moorings between Northern Greenland and the North Pole.
Now, the entire Arctic Ocean ice pack from the Beaufort to the East Siberian Sea, to the Laptev, across the Kara and north of the Barents on to north of Greenland and the Canadian Archipelago is floating free in June. A condition that was unheard of in August or September just a decade and a half ago, but one that is now occurring before the Summer Solstice.
Overall, for this time of year, Arctic sea ice extent remains in or near record low ranges despite weather conditions that would have traditionally helped to preserve sea ice. Storms over the central ice have provided cloudy conditions, preventing direct sunlight from hitting the ice and speeding melt. However, despite these conditions, temperatures over most of the Arctic have remained above average with some regions along the coast experiencing substantially above average temperatures.
EDIT
https://robertscribbler.com/2016/06/20/this-is-what-a-fossil-fuel-dystopia-looks-like-the-arctic-sea-ice-is-breaking-up-north-of-greenland-in-june/
Dustlawyer
(10,495 posts)We will not make the dynamic changes necessary to halt Climate Change before we start a feedback loop which thawed tundra releases massive amounts of stored methane. Methane is much worse for Climate Change than CO2.
Despite this we roll along, business as usual heading for a cliff. The oceans are dying which in turn kills the phytoplankton, the source of 90% of the world's oxygen.
Until we get rid of the legalized bribery of our public officials and bust up the media (propaganda) Oligarchy we will have no serious effort to combat Climate Change!
WheelWalker
(8,955 posts)ffr
(22,670 posts)Oopha!
We go down this road as a global community of humans. We're all making this happen.
padfun
(1,786 posts)Then I heard about 400.350.org. So now we will need the 450.400.350.org.
Eventually they will run out of space when it gets to 800.750.700.650.etc
Javaman
(62,530 posts)it's currently projected that the earth will reach 2C by 2027. I think that's optimistic.
we have reached all the various high water marks a lot sooner than first thought.
once the negative feedback loop kicks in in earnest, I maintain, we will hit 3c by the early to mid 2030's.
there is no putting the toothpaste back in the tube.
we needed to cut all CO2 35 years ago to stop climate change.
we need to cut CO2 by 90% right not to mitigate the worst of the effects of Climate Change.
That is not going to happen.
by the time I die, which, I'm thinking will be in the 2050's, the temp globally will be closer to 4C then to 3C.
at which point, it will be a minor miracle that I will live that long.
I live in Austin and that's predicted to be like Saudi Arabia during a hot summer, not a normal summer. Nothing will grow and water will be a thing of the past.