Scientist have once again reported that the polar ice is melting at an alarming rate. In the Beaufort Sea, recent storms brought warm air to the Arctic. This, along with effects of global warming, has scientists warning that the Arctic could be free of ice by 2013.
How important is the ice? What effects will result from continued melting?
-The Arctic climate impacts all of the weather in the Northern Hemisphere, and the effects of such change could be devastating.
-Loss of ice = rise in sea levels which could threaten coastal areas worldwide.
-Companies, who would profit from the Arctic melt, would gain access to an abundance of resources that were once protected by the ice such as: oil, gas and minerals. Pollution, loss of species and other environmental destruction would be a result.
-Melting Arctic ice threatens Arctic ecosystems
Go to The National Snow and Ice Data Center for Arctic sea news and & analysis
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