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| NOAA: NW Passage free of ice, August 2012 |
Despite the lack of interest in global warming in the United States reflected in the issue's absence from the political discourse, the Arctic Sea's ice sheet melting continues to set new records. In September, 2007 the minimum extent of Arctic sea ice shattered records since satellite monitoring began in 1979. Then it receded to 1.61 million square miles or about a million square miles less than the 1979-2000 average coverage. So far ice coverage this year is 186,00 square miles less than the record year for melting. There are several more weeks remaining of the thawing season. An August cyclonic storm help to break up thin ice which is contributing to the rapid rate of melting. Thick multi-year ice is rapidly disappearing in the Arctic being replaced by what one scientist described as a "giant slushie", referring to a popular children's ice refreshment. Many climate scientists consider the melting at the Earth's northern pole to be a strong sign of climate warming brought about by human industrial activity. The accelerating melting rate is decreasing Earth's albedo an indication of the worst case scenario of the future effects of climate change. The
warmest 13 years on record have taken place in just the last decade and a half. Paradoxically, only 19% of TV weather reporters think that climate change is mostly anthropomorphic according to a 2011 survey by George Mason University. Only 18% of these purveyors of information know that there is a scientific consensus on climate change.
Some prominent weather forecasters such a founder of the Weather Channel, are climate change deniers. Another survey shows that only 11% of Americans report that their forecaster talked about climate change five or more times in the past 12 months. When
US Person asked the local Stumptown forecaster about the lack of mention in his nightly weather segments, he replied that talking about climate change on the news would "
offend some viewers". In other words, ignorance is still bliss.
