You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Exclusive: No ice at the North Pole - Northwest Passage open at last
2008-06-27
It seems unthinkable, but for the first time in human history, ice is on course to disappear entirely from the North Pole this year. The disappearance of the Arctic sea ice, making it possible to reach the Pole sailing in a boat through open water, would be one of the most dramatic – and worrying – examples of the impact of global warming on the planet. Scientists say the ice at 90 degrees north may well have melted away by the summer.

'From the viewpoint of science, the North Pole is just another point on the globe, but symbolically it is hugely important. There is supposed to be ice at the North Pole, not open water,' said Mark Serreze of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado.

If it happens, it raises the prospect of the Arctic nations being able to exploit the valuable oil and mineral deposits below these a bed which have until now been impossible to extract because of the thick sea ice above.
Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC

#18  Its been widely predicted by AGW experts with high confidence based on models that Arctic ice extent would set a new record low this year. Those predictions are almost certainly wrong as Arctic ice is well above last years level.

Note the article quotes a bunch of anecdotal sources, while ignoring the up to date data available at places like Cryosphere Today.

And of course no one dares mention Antarctic ice which is at record levels.

Also of interest, is that sea levels have stopped rising for the last year or so.
Posted by: Phil_B   2008-06-27 17:08  

#17  For the AGW alarmist crowd, human history started when the Goracle started warning people about global warming.
Posted by: Rambler in California   2008-06-27 14:45  

#16  #12 - mhw, that is what I was assuming. As for the Baffin and Greenland ice sheets, even the bogus UN climate report admitted that it would take a very long time (hundred of years or more) for the Greenland ice sheet to melt. I realize that ice caps over land would add to sea levels rising if they melted.
Posted by: Rambler in California   2008-06-27 14:44  

#15  Not even the first time in recorded human history, Bigjim.

Humans have been around for 70+ thousand years (probably closer to 500 thousand to 1 million) so the statement is blatantly false and demonstrates a typical inability by the mass media to fact check in favor of ringing the GW alarm bell.

Posted by: FOTSGreg   2008-06-27 14:25  

#14  The northwest passage was open from 1903-1906. So this isn't the first time in human history, is it.
Posted by: bigjim-ky   2008-06-27 13:42  

#13  the normally thick ice formed over many years at the Pole has been blown away

So it's Global Wind at fault. Mr. Greenie, tear down that wind turbine!

Posted by: ed   2008-06-27 12:21  

#12  Rambler

That is only true if you assume the only difference is the ice to water phase change (and nothing happens to the baffin and greenland ice sheets). If the whole column of water increases in temperature, the column increases in height (because warm water is less dense).
Posted by: mhw   2008-06-27 12:06  

#11  Actually, there's more ice this year than at the same date last year.

http://igloo.atmos.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/test/print.sh?fm=06&fd=26&fy=2007&sm=06&sd=26&sy=2008
Posted by: DoDo   2008-06-27 12:04  

#10  Given the area of the Arctic ice pack, and the thickness of the ice, how much will the oceans rise worldwide if the ice pack melts completely?
Answer: NOT ONE MILLIMETER.
Posted by: Rambler in California   2008-06-27 11:20  

#9  All this MMGW crap ignores one import factor; volcanoes. One good Mt. St Helens - or Pinatubo - or Tambora - and the earth's surface goes into a quick chill - and there is bugger all that human infestation of the Earth's crust can do about it.
Posted by: Lone Ranger   2008-06-27 11:17  

#8  One of the research centers at the U of Wisc. maps the sea ice cover on a weekly basis.

You have to suffer through the rectangular projection and also realize that

- they use an analysis convention that shows 51% coverage as all ice and 49% coverage as ice free, and

- where the satellites weren't able to get images (typically because of clouds), they use a complicated formula which takes into account climatology and persistance.

However, other than that, its a pretty good product.

As of the latest analysis date (Jun 23), there was plenty of ice around.
Posted by: mhw   2008-06-27 10:53  

#7  I just knew this was made up for TV and couldn't possibly be real on this sweltering globe:

http://www.history.com/minisites/iceroadtruckers
Posted by: M. Murcek   2008-06-27 09:44  

#6  Say, I wonder where those enormous Arctic volcanic eruptions, reported about yesterday, are happening?
Posted by: Anonymoose   2008-06-27 09:39  

#5  Well, it will make drilling for oil a heck of a lot easier.
Posted by: DarthVader   2008-06-27 09:29  

#4  Our work is done here.
Adios.
Posted by: Halliburton: Northwest Passage Division   2008-06-27 09:23  

#3  Nothing to do at all with ocean currents and normal cyclical activity. Nor those volcanic vents.

Gotta be AGW per the religious tenets of the Ecogods and their Prophets Hansen and Gore.
Posted by: OldSpook   2008-06-27 09:10  

#2  Time for all good people to commit suicide, decrease the surplus population, and end their personal contribution to global warming.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2008-06-27 09:00  

#1  Ok I am a complete idiot when it comes to weather. This story basically says ice melts in the summer? Did I miss something?
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2008-06-27 08:55  

00:00