What will the Arctic look like in 2050?
Arctic will see ice-free summers by 2050 as globe warms, study says. Sea ice is frozen ocean water that melts each summer, then refreezes each winter. Sea ice affects Arctic communities and wildlife such as polar bears and walruses.
What could you predict about the extent of sea ice in 2050?
(May 13, 2020) A new analysis, using global climate models, predicts that most of the Arctic Ocean could become ice-free during summer by 2050. Since satellite-based measurements have begun in the 1970s, data show a trend of more ice melting away during summers and less new ice forming during winters.
How are the ice caps doing?
Polar ice caps are melting as global warming causes climate change. We lose Arctic sea ice at a rate of almost 13% per decade, and over the past 30 years, the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic has declined by a stunning 95%.
What will happen if the Arctic sea ice melts?
If all the ice covering Antarctica , Greenland, and in mountain glaciers around the world were to melt, sea level would rise about 70 meters (230 feet). The ocean would cover all the coastal cities. And land area would shrink significantly. But many cities, such as Denver, would survive.
Will all the ice in the Arctic melt?
But as the climate warms, the Arctic loses more ice than it gains back. August 2020: Following intense summer heat, Arctic sea ice melts to its second-lowest extent on record, nearly reaching 2012 levels. Even if we stop all greenhouse gas emissions tomorrow, Arctic sea ice will continue melting for decades.
Why is Arctic melting faster than Antarctic?
Melting ice Ice is more reflective and less absorbent of sunlight than land or the surface of an ocean. When ice melts, it typically reveals darker areas of land or sea, and this results in increased sunlight absorption and associated warming. Polar amplification is much stronger in the Arctic than in Antarctica.
Why is Arctic sea ice decreasing?
In the Arctic Ocean, the area covered by sea ice grows and shrinks over the course of the year. Each fall, as less sunlight reaches the Arctic and air temperatures begin to drop, additional sea ice forms.
Are there any predictions for Arctic sea ice?
While pan-Arctic sea ice extent predictions are a crucial first step, their utility is somewhat limited for stakeholders, who are primarily interested in sea ice predictions on regional and sub-regional spatial scales.
How does GFDL predict Arctic sea ice extent?
GFDL routinely submits sea ice forecasts to the September Sea Ice Outlook and to the Sea Ice Prediction Network. Retrospective seasonal predictions performed with CM2.1 and FLOR show skill in predicting detrended Pan-Arctic sea-ice extent anomalies at lead times of 1-6 months (Msadek et al. 2014).
When does the minimum of Arctic sea ice occur?
Arctic Sea Ice Predictions Continuous observations of the Arctic sea-ice cover have been possible since 1979 with the use of passive microwave satellite instruments. The minimum of Pan-Arctic sea-ice extent occurs each year in September. Since the beginning of the satellite record, September sea-ice extent has decreased by about 40%.
What are the predictions for the Barents Sea ice?
Predictions of the observed Barents Sea March sea ice edge (black) from the Control (blue), No CTD (green), No Subsurface (magenta), SST Only (cyan), Atmosphere Only (red), and Uninitialized (gray) OSE runs. Predicted ice edges for lead time of 8 months are shown for years 2010 and 2015.