You can believe the climate change deniers never read the the
NOAA website. If they did, they would know that it was the third lowest extent of sea ice on record. The site also has a
video graphic that shows the shocking extent of melting that is affecting sea levels and climate patterns. The lowest extent of ice around September 15th this year was 22% lower than in the previous 30 years [map, red line] based on satellite measurements, and the fabled Northwest Passage was ice free this summer. The ice cap has been under satellite observation since 1979. Here is a map, or chart in nautical terms, of this year's melt from the March maximum to the September minimum:
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| Mother Jones: 2010 Arctic Ice Cap |
Greenland, formerly permanently ice covered except for patches along the coast, is experiencing record high temperatures, ice melting and glacier loss. The Petermann glacier lost an area of ice 290km² in area (71,661 acres), the largest ever recorded. Melting of Greenland's ice cap will have a direct effect on sea levels since the ice is supported by land and not the sea. Scientists from 69 countries conclude in their
"Arctic Report Card" that the Arctic has reached a tipping point in terms of temperature change. It is unlikely, according to the contributing researchers, that the Arctic will return to its previous state of equilibrium.
