63 Scientists Of 13 Nations Publish 2014 Arctic Report Card; Relentless, Long-Term Decline

[hatrack]

EDIT

Spring snow cover in Eurasia reached a record low in April. Arctic summer sea ice, while not setting a new record, continued a long-term, steady decline. And Greenland set a record in August for the least amount of sunlight reflected in that month, said the peer-reviewed report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies.

Overall, the report card written by 63 scientists from 13 countries shows few single-year dramatic changes, unlike other years.

"We can't expect records every year. It need not be spectacular for the Arctic to continue to be changing," said report lead editor Martin Jeffries, an Arctic scientist for the Office of Naval Research, at a San Francisco news conference Wednesday.

The report illustrates instead a relentless decline in cold, snow and ice conditions and how they combine with each other. And several of those have to do with how the Arctic reflects sun heat. The Arctic's drop in reflectivity is crucial because "it plays a role like a thermostat in regulating global climate," Jeffries said, in an interview. As the bright areas are replaced, even temporarily, with dark heat-absorbing dark areas, "That has global implications."

EDIT

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/18/arctic-keeps-losingsnowiceabsorbsmoreheat.html

[newfie11]

1. To bad no one in power is listening

Science apparently that's a word to ignore in today's world.

[niyad]

2. k and r and bookmarking for later