Scientists: Summer's arctic ice loss second only to '07
By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published September 18, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
The ice in the Arctic Ocean has stopped receding for the summer season, but what remains is the second-greatest extent of ice-free ocean in modern times, Colorado scientists say.
The ice didn't recede as much as it did last year, but enough to reinforce the strong trend in summertime sea-ice loss observed during the past 30 years, according to researchers at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado.
The center will issue a formal news release next month with full analysis of the possible causes of this year's ice conditions.
Most experts attribute the seasonal loss of Arctic Ocean ice the past three decades to global warming caused by increased carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere.
NSIDC scientists rely mostly on satellite data to analyze ice loss and back up those observations with field trips to the Arctic and ice-core analysis.
Featured
-
DNC in Denver
Complete coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
-
The Crevasse
A five-part series that examines one tragic day on Mount Rainier.
-
Deadly denial
Sick nuclear workers applied for government compensation but most haven't seen a dime.
-
Final Salute
The Rocky followed Maj. Steve Beck as he took on the most difficult duty of his career.
-
'Colorado's burning'
Coverage of the state's worst wildfires.
-
Columbine shootings
Coverage of the April 20, 1999, shootings at Littleton's Columbine High School.
-
The Crossing
Colorado's deadliest traffic accident killed 20 children on Dec. 14, 1961.
-
Osveli's journey
Osveli Sales left Guatemala for a better life. Two months later, he came home in a box.
-
Wake for an Indian warrior
Oglala Sioux bestow a tribute to the first tribal fatality in Iraq.
