North Pole ice could disappear this summer — scientists

Greenwire: The North Pole may be completely ice-free later this summer as global warming melts Arctic ice, according to scientists.

Scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo., said the ice retreated to a record level last September, opening up the Northwest Passage, a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, for the first time in recorded history. They said there is a 50-50 chance the thin ice could completely melt away at the geographic North Pole by this September.

“We kind of have an informal betting pool going around in our center … ‘does the North pole melt out this summer?’ and it may well,” said the center’s senior research scientist Mark Serreze.

Serreze said last year’s near-meltdown was the result of weather patterns, and meteorological conditions this summer will determine whether the ice will completely melt this year.

A brief lack of ice at the top of the globe will not bring any immediate consequences, though, he said.

“From the viewpoint of the science, the North Pole is just another point in the globe, but it does have this symbolic meaning,” Serreze said. “There’s supposed to be ice at the North pole. The fact that we may not have any by the end of this summer could be quite a symbolic change.”

There are even some positive aspects of limited ice in the Arctic, he said. Ships could use the Northwest Passage to save time and energy by not having to sail through the Panama Canal or around Cape Horn. And the Arctic could be more easily opened up to oil and gas exploration.

“There’s also, of course, oil at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean,” he said. “Now, the irony of that is kind of clear but the fact that we are opening up the Arctic Ocean does make it more accessible” (Alan Duke, CNN.com, June 27). – KJH