A year on thin ice

• Autores: Fred Pearce
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3120, 2017, págs. 33-37
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Each year, the ice sheet reaches its maximum extent in March, then begins to shrink as temperature warm up. But this year, something is different. The floating sea ice, which at its peak normally extends as far as the eye can see and feels as solid underfoot as a continental shelf, is rotten. For the third year in a row, its maximum March extent is at a record low, following a winter of heatwaves. February temperatures were above freezing. These are the symptoms of a new Arctic that is being created. In all likelihood the Arctic Ocean will soon be ice-free in the summer, surrounded by snow-free lands. Here, Pearce discusses the changes of the Arctic's four seasons