New data rings alarm bells over Arctic ice melt
19 October 2009
The Arctic Ocean could be largely ice free during the summer within a decade, according to scientists. New data gathered by the Catlin Arctic Survey earlier this year provides further evidence that the sea ice is thinning faster than previously thought.
The data, collected by manual drilling on a 450km route across the northern part of the Beaufort Sea, suggests the survey area consists almost exclusively of first year ice. The region has traditionally contained older, thicker multi-year ice.
The average thickness of the ice floes measured by the CAS ice team, led by explorer Pen Hadow, was 1.8m, a depth too thin to survive the summer ice melt. The three person ice team took more than 6,000 measurements on a 73-day trek that started on March 1.
The data is important because it supports the new consensus view - based on seasonal variation of ice extent and thickness, changes in temperature, winds and especially ice composition – that the Arctic will be ice free in summer within 20 years and that much of the decrease will occur in half that time.
“That means you’ll be able to treat the Arctic as if it were essentially an open sea in the summer and have transport across the Arctic Ocean,” said Professor Peter Wadhams of the Polar Ocean Physics Group at the University of Cambridge.
At the unveiling of the results in London, Dr Martin Sommerkorn of the WWF International Arctic Programme, which partnered with the Catlin Arctic Survey, explained that the arctic sea ice is a key component in the Earth’s climate system.
Loss of arctic sea ice cover could set in motion powerful climate feedbacks which will have an impact far beyond the arctic itself – self perpetuating cycles, amplifying and accelerating the consequences of global warming, he warned. Reduced ice cover will lead to more greenhouse gases being released from the vast store of carbon locked in the frozen Arctic region.
“Today’s findings provide yet another urgent call for action to world leaders ahead of the UN climate summit this December to rapidly and effectively curb global greenhouse gas emissions,” Dr Sommerkorn said.
Ed Miliband, UK Energy and Climate Change Secretary, said in a statement: “The Catlin Arctic Survey and WWF study sets out the stark realities of a rapidly changing climate. This further strengthens the case for an ambitious global deal in Copenhagen in December which the UK is fully committed to achieving.”
Expedition leader Pen Hadow told Lloyd’s 360 Risk Insight: “The loss of the arctic sea ice during the summertime - perhaps in as little as 10 years - will increase climate risks and other types of risks - both known and unknown - that face insurers and the rest of humanity.”
Pen Hadow is a speaker at the forthcoming Lloyd’s 360 Conference - Managing Risks In The 21st Century: Climate Change, Cyber Risk and Piracy. The event, jointly hosted by Lloyd’s and NATO, takes place in New York on October 29.
Lloyd’s sponsors the Arctic Survey Education programme - an initiative linked to the Catlin Arctic Survey to promote climate change awareness by inspiring and engaging young people and their families with new facts and knowledge.
Last updated on 19 Oct 2009
