The Climate's Warm Future Is Now in the Arctic
Thursday, September 10, 2009 - 16:42
in Earth & Climate
When the summer sea ice goes, the Arctic will lose the ivory gull, Pacific walrus, ringed seal, hooded seal, narwhal and polar bear--all animals that rely on the ice for foraging, reproduction or as refuge from predators. And the sea ice is going, faster and faster: In the past 30 years, minimum sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean has declined by 45,000 square kilometers--an area twice the size of New Jersey is lost each year. [More]