Arctic Climate Records Melting
21
May, 2016
An
intensely warm winter and spring are melting climate records across
Alaska, reports NOAA in the post 'Arctic
set for record-breaking melt'.
The January-April 2016 period was 11.4°F (6.4°C) warmer than
the 20th century average, reports
NOAA.
The NOAA
image below
further illustrates the situation.
The
sea ice is melting rapidly. Warm water from the Mackenzie River is
contributing to dramatic melting in the Beaufort Sea, as illustrated
by the image below, showing that on May 20, 2016, the Arctic Ocean
was 5°F (2.8°C) warmer than in 1981-2011 at the delta of the
Mackenzie River.
The
image below shows that on May 20, 2016, sea ice extent was 10.99
million square km, compared to the 12.05 million square km extent of
the sea ice in May 20, 2012, as measured byJAXA.
Sea
ice reached a record minimum extent of 3.18 million square km on
September 15, 2012, and chances are that the sea ice will be largely
gone by September 2016.
The
year 2016 is an El Niño year and insolation during the coming
months of June and July is higher in the Arctic than anywhere else
on Earth. Greenhouse gases are at record high levels: CO2 was 408.2
ppm on May 12, 2016, and methane levels are high and rising,
especially over the Arctic.
Ocean
heat is also very high and rising. Oceans on the Northern Hemisphere
were 0.93°C
(or 1.7°F) warmer in
the most recent 12-months period (May 2015 through April 2016) than
the 20th century average.
The
image below shows sea ice extent as measured by the NSIDC,
confirming that melting of the sea ice in 2016 is way ahead on
previous years.
The
situation is dire and calls for comprehensive and effective action,
as described in the Climate
Plan.
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