Arctic sea ice reached record low volume in 2008
October 2nd, 2008 by Jim JustThe NSIDC reports Arctic sea ice volume probably reached a record low in 2008:
“. . . preliminary data indicates that 2008 probably represents the lowest volume of Arctic sea ice on record, partly because less multiyear ice is surviving now, and the remaining ice is so thin.”
Arctic sea ice extent during the 2008 melt season dropped to the second-lowest level since satellite measurements began in 1979.
The press release explains what happened this summer:
“Conditions in spring, at the end of the growth season, played an important role in the outcome of this year’s melt. In March 2008, thin first-year ice covered a record high 73% of the Arctic Basin. While this might seem like a recovery of the ice, the large extent masked an important aspect of sea ice health; thin ice is more prone to melting out during summer. So, the widespread thin ice of spring 2008 set the stage for extensive ice loss over the melt season.
“Through the 2008 melt season, a race developed between melting of the thin ice and gradually waning sunlight. Summer ice losses allowed a great deal of solar energy to enter the ocean and heat up the water, melting even more ice from the bottom and sides. Warm oceans store heat longer than the atmosphere does, contributing to melt long after sunlight has begun to wane. In August 2008, the Arctic Ocean lost more ice than any previous August in the satellite record.
NSIDC Research Scientist Julienne Stroeve said,
“I find it incredible that we came so close to beating the 2007 record—without the especially warm and clear conditions we saw last summer. I hate to think what 2008 might have looked like if weather patterns had set up in a more extreme way. ”
The melt season of 2008 reinforces the decline of Arctic sea ice documented over the past thirty years. NSIDC Lead Scientist Ted Scambos said,
“The trend of decline in the Arctic continues, despite this year’s slightly greater extent of sea ice. The Arctic is more vulnerable than ever.”