News brief

News Brief:
Hed: Senior scientist from NASA speaks on mysteries in Arctic ice

Sea ice melting in the Arctic reached another low this year, according to NASA senior scientist Claire Parkinson. “There was concern last year when the ice reached a recorded all time low,” she said. “We thought [the levels] could be unique because of wind fields. But this year levels were low, too.”

Although sea ice levels were not as low as the year before, it is definitely in line with an overall melting trend, Parkinson said. She attributes yearly fluxuation to external weather-related factors such as air circulation patterns and the slow-down of the ocean conveyor belt.

In Antarctica however, ice levels are rising, a fact which many non-global warming believers often point to. “In some cases during history, big time changes happened first in the South polar region and then the North,” she said. “It’s possible to have two hemispheres going in two opposite directions or going in the same direction.” Thirty years ago in fact, sea ice levels were decreasing in Antarctica. But the trend reversed. Parkinson said the same could happen in the Arctic, “although I don’t think it’s conceivable.”

What is certain, though, are the environmental ramifications of the rapid sea ice loss in the Arctic. Ice serves as a radiation deflector, reflecting the sun’s rays back into space, she said. The ocean on the other hand, absorbs radiation. If there is less ice coverage, more UV rays are being absorbed by the ocean warming the earth further. This is what is called a positive feedback, Parkinson said. “[The ocean] positively reinforces the warming caused by the lack of sea ice. Ice is a good insulator. With less ice, you get a lot more water and heat exchanges between earth and the atmosphere.”

Finally, the impact on wildlife and ecosystems are extensive if not immeasurable. “Most people have no idea organisms live in the ice,” Parkinson said. “Some [organisms] spend their entire life cycle in the ice. These organisms are sometimes in turn eaten by organisms that live outside the ice, who are in turn eaten by other animals. It goes all the way up the food chain. Polar bears are impacted big time.”