Arctic without ice in 10 years?
The Arctic Ocean can become completely free of ice in the summer season within a decade, Norwegian scientists believe.
New research results show that the ice melting in the Arctic Ocean goes a lot faster than we thought.
Until now, scientists have believed that the area would be ice-free in 50-100 years, but this estimate now has to be reevaluated:
- The real thick ice has more or less disappeared since the 1990’s and I would not be surprised if the drift ice is completely gone in the summer season in only ten years time, says oceanographer Edmond Hansen at the Norwegian Polar Institute, according to Yr.no.
Scientists from the Norwegian Polar Institute have for the last twenty years monitored ice thickness in the Fram Strait between Greenland and the Svalbard Archipelago. According to their data, the thickness of the ice cap has been gradually decreasing and currently equals one-year ice thickness.
Russian scientists are also reporting about the rapid melting of ice in the Arctic. I September the Russian Metrological Service reported that the Arctic ice-cap was 32 percent below normal and that Northern Sea Route was completely free of ice.
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