Sorry, I hope that this not-so-great news from the Arctic Sea won't spoil what's left of your Groundhog Day. As always, the data that I publish in these BSBs is not intended to alarm, but rather to inform.
My
last post featured a new chart suggesting that warming in the Arctic has already gone exponential and that the global average temperature may not be far behind.
This new chart (below) posted on
ArcticNews caught my attention big time. Coupled with the chart posted last week, it seems to suggest that we're not far away from an ice-free Arctic Ocean.
Extent of Arctic Sea Ice on January 30, 2018
In millions of square kilometers--a record low for this date as you can see from the chart below
From
nsidc.org data, the lines above show the extent of Arctic sea ice for January through March for each year since 1979. If an ice-free Arctic is in our future, it will likely occur first in September--at the end of the summer season there. A few notes:
1. The solid green line at the top (1979 to 1990)
2. The black/gray includes the range (1991 to 2010)
3. The multi-colors are most recent (2011 to 2017)
4. The gold line at the bottom is the scary one (2018)
5. Loss of sea ice at this time of year since 1979 is about two million sq. kilometers.
Here again is the chart posted last week. It clearly shows that the temperature in the Arctic is now rising exponentially--currently about three times more rapidly than the global average. This chart covers data from 1980 through early 2018.
Why are we not hearing this vital information from the
IPCC or the world's mainstream news? Three things: politics, economics and failed leadership.
The Bottom Line. We're now in uncharted waters (no pun intended) with the Arctic Ocean.
The latest forecast is calling for temperatures of up to 54 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the 1979-2000 average at the North Pole three days from now on Monday, February 5.
Climate change is definitely happening and we've almost certainly passed the tipping point. We must urgently work to raise the awareness of this terrifying phenomenon. Stay tuned as I will continue to report the most important sustainability news in the world as I find it.
One of these slides was included in my latest presentation below at the SW Florida VegFest on January 28, 2018
