Open AccessReal‐Time Changes in Arctic Ice Presented in Online Portal
Author(s) -
Fausto Robert S.,
Colgan William,
Langen Peter L.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1002/2013eo440001
Subject(s) - cryosphere , sea ice , arctic ice pack , ice albedo feedback , climatology , arctic , glacier , antarctic sea ice , ice sheet , arctic sea ice decline , oceanography , arctic geoengineering , greenland ice sheet , climate change , future sea level , geology , radiative forcing , environmental science , physical geography , geography , geomorphology
The contemporary Arctic cryosphere is in a highly transient state, responding to a persistent and accelerating climate forcing. Over the past decade, the frequency with which annual ice losses in Greenland reached record highs and annual sea ice area in the Arctic reached record lows has been exceptional: Each year, the Greenland ice sheet has lost roughly as much ice, if melted, to fill most of Lake Erie, and since 2007, all sea ice minima have been smaller than those seen between 1979 and 2006. The anticipated consequences of cryospheric change, including more solar radiation absorbed by newly exposed patches of seawater where there once was ice and substantial sea level rise thanks to melting glaciers, provide a strong motivation to understand the state of Arctic ice.