[NatureNS] Herald article today on melting arctic ice was too short.

From: "Roland McCormick" <roland.mccormick@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
References: <1DEA03E4-8149-4BD6-A090-7C5D4288ACD5@eastlink.ca>
Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:06:23 -0300
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I have always thought it would be interesting if someone would compare =
the melting of the ice in the arctic to the melting of the ice in Nova =
Scotia  Just think of all the terrible things that have happened in Nova =
Scotia after the ice melted here ten thousand years ago.

Roland
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: James W. Wolford=20
  To: NatureNS=20
  Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 5:28 PM
  Subject: [NatureNS] Herald article today on melting arctic ice was too =
short.


  For those interested, note how much of this article was left out of =
the printed newspaper, at least for the Valley edition, versus what was =
on the Herald Web site.  Cheers from Jim in Wolfville
  -----------------------------


  Chronicle Herald, Tuesday, June 28, 2011


  http://thechronicleherald.ca/Canada/1250711.html


  Walkers help solve mystery of fast melt=20


  By BOB WEBER The Canadian Press=20
  Tue, Jun 28 - 4:54 AM


  A 500-kilometre walk over treacherous Arctic terrain has resulted in a =
possible explanation for why sea ice in northern waters is melting so =
much more rapidly than anyone thought it would.

  "We=92re trying to understand why the ice is melting so fast," said =
Simon Boxall of the Catlin Arctic Survey. "It=92s not just down to =
simple warming. There are more complicated processes."

  The speed at which sea ice is disappearing in the Arctic has far =
exceeded almost all predictions and alarmed climate scientists.

  A 2007 paper from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, =
Colo., found that the projections of the UN-sponsored Intergovernmental =
Panel on Climate Change were already obsolete three years after they =
were published.

  When projections from the panel were compared with actual =
observations, the authors found that between 1953 and 2006 the sea ice =
was retreating three times faster than it should have. Between 1979 and =
2006, when satellite data was available, the actual retreat was twice as =
fast as climate models predicted.

  The report concluded that sea ice retreat is 30 years ahead of where =
scientists thought it would be.

  "Decay of the ice cover is proceeding more rapidly than expected based =
on the model simulations," said the report published in Geophysical =
Research Letters.

  The team at the Catlin Arctic Survey, sponsored by the Catlin Group =
insurance company, thought the answer might lie in different =
temperatures at different levels of Arctic seas.

  Such data is usually obtained from ships. But during the spring, when =
melting is greatest, there=92s still too much sea ice for ships to make =
it through.

  So the scientists walked from Borden Island to Ellef Ringnes Island =
and also from near the North Pole all the way down to the northern tip =
of Ellesmere Island, slogging about 10 kilometres a day in =
below-deep-freeze temperatures over rugged, uneven ice.

  What they found was a surprise =97 a layer of seawater about 200 =
metres below the surface that was actually colder than when it had been =
measured by previous expeditions.

  "That=92s counterintuitive," said Boxall. "We would expect to see, =
with global warming, warming conditions generally."

  But when they realized that the colder water was also saltier than =
they expected, an explanation began to suggest itself.

  Boxall points out that the older sea ice is, the less salt it =
contains. Ice that=92s two or three years old already contains very =
little salt.

  [NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ENDED RIGHT HERE, WITH NO INDICATION THAT THERE WAS =
MORE OF THE ARTICLE THAT WAS ELSEWHERE OR JUST LEFT OUT][JW]

  Year-old ice, however, remains fairly salty. And when it melts, it =
produces meltwater that's denser than the relatively fresh water from =
older ice.

  As multi-year ice declines throughout the Arctic, more of the saltier =
meltwater from younger ice is mixing into the ocean. That colder, denser =
water sinks more quickly and forces less dense water from deeper in the =
ocean up to the surface.

  Because fresh meltwater is colder than seawater, that means relatively =
warm water is being forced upwards. And that, said Boxall, may be part =
of the reason that sea ice is melting so much faster than anyone thought =
it would.

  ``What we're seeing is that (fresh meltwater) being taken away from =
the surface and replaced by slightly warmer water,'' said Boxall. ``The =
evidence is that the surface waters are (now) slightly warmer.''

  Boxall cautions that his conclusions are based on a preliminary review =
of data that the team brought back from the ice.

  ``We need to compare our results with previous data and with groups =
from other areas.''

  A paper is being prepared for publication.

  The results do show that the effects of climate change and global =
warming are not always obvious, suggested Boxall.

  ``The evidence is that there's something interesting going on. The =
fact that (the climate) is getting warmer is one reason for the ice =
melting, but it's more complex than that.''

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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I have always thought it would be =
interesting if=20
someone would compare the melting of the ice in the arctic to the =
melting of the=20
ice in Nova Scotia&nbsp; Just think of all the terrible things that have =

happened in Nova Scotia after the ice melted here ten thousand years=20
ago.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Roland</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3Djimwolford@eastlink.ca =
href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">James W.=20
  Wolford</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">NatureNS</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent