Accelerated decline in the arctic sea ice cover

• Main Authors: Josefino C. Comiso, Claire L. Parkinson, Robert Gersten, Larry Stock, C. L. Parkinson, R. Gersten, L. Stock
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Arctic; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.419.8464; http://www.seas.harvard.edu/climate/seminars/pdfs/comiso_etal_2008.pdf

[1] Satellite data reveal unusually low Arctic sea ice coverage during the summer of 2007, caused in part by anomalously high temperatures and southerly winds. The extent and area of the ice cover reached minima on 14 September 2007 at 4.1 10 6 km 2 and 3.6 10 6 km 2, respectively. These are 24 % and 27 % lower than the previous record lows, both reached on 21 September 2005, and 37 % and 38 % less than the climatological averages. Acceleration in the decline is evident as the extent and area trends of the entire ice cover (seasonal and perennial ice) have shifted from about 2.2 and 3.0 % per decade in 1979– 1996 to about 10.1 and 10.7 % per decade in the last 10 years. The latter trends are now comparable to the high negative trends of 10.2 and 11.4 % per decade for the perennial ice extent and area, 1979–2007. Citation: Comiso