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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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Arctic Melt Nears 'Tipping Point'

Bigger, dark sea will melt what's left faster, scientists fear

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(Newser) – Arctic ice has shrunk so significantly this past summer that scientists fear the region is at a dangerous "tipping point" that could trigger accelerated melting and dangerous consequences for weather patterns and environments. Ice shrank 20% below 2005’s record low. Scientists theorize that the darker sea holds more heat than the reflective ice and will cause even more melting more quickly.

Some experts believe that Arctic ice could be gone in summer by mid-century. That alone wouldn’t raise sea levels, but bears watching because similar thaws in Antarctica could raise the oceans and flood low-lying areas. The recent dramatic melt "is a strong indication that there is an amplifying mechanism here," warned one scientist.

This is an undated handout photo of a polar bear taken in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. More than two-thirds of the world's polar bears will be killed off by 2050 - the species completely gone from Alaska - because of thinning sea ice from global warming in the Arctic,...
This is an undated handout photo of a polar bear taken in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. More than two-thirds of the world's polar bears will be killed off by 2050 - the species completely gone...   (Associated Press)
In this photo made available by the European Space Agency, the McClure Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is shown Aug. 31, 2007. The McClure Strait is the most direct route of the Northwest Passage and has been fully open since early August 2007. The European Space Agency said nearly...
In this photo made available by the European Space Agency, the McClure Strait in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is shown Aug. 31, 2007. The McClure Strait is the most direct route of the Northwest Passage...   (Associated Press)
Icebergs float in a bay off Ammassalik Island, Greenland, July 19, 2007. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an unprecedented summit on climate change Monday Sept. 24, 2007 that
Icebergs float in a bay off Ammassalik Island, Greenland, July 19, 2007. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an unprecedented summit on climate change Monday Sept. 24, 2007 that "the time for doubt...   (Associated Press)
An iceberg floats in a bay off Ammassalik Island, Greenland July 17, 2007. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an unprecedented summit on climate change Monday Sept. 24, 2007 that
An iceberg floats in a bay off Ammassalik Island, Greenland July 17, 2007. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told an unprecedented summit on climate change Monday Sept. 24, 2007 that "the time for doubt...   (Associated Press)
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