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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Arctic Sea Ice in Summer 2005 (1/14)

Satellites have observed Arctic ice since 1978. Sea ice decline is likely to affect future temperatures in the region.

Because it is white or light in color, sea ice reflects much of the sun’s radiation back into space, whereas dark ocean water absorbs more of the sun’s energy. The increased absorption of energy further warms the planet. (Graphic: Reuters)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Record Meltdown in Summer 2007 (2/14)

In September 2007, sea ice extend in the Arctic was at an all-time low. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, sea ice shrank to 38 percent below average. Much of the melting occurred in the East Siberian Sea.

Melting ice is the most visible impact of a warming climate. The UN Panel on Climate Change finds that average Arctic temperatures have increased at almost twice the global average rate in the past 100 years. (Graphic: NASA, data from AMSR-E)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Sea Ice Melt Compared (3/14)

The graph shows the average sea ice extent, comparing data from 2007, 2005, and 1979-2000. The Arctic starts to regain ice when summer ends in mid-September.

Sea ice acts as the Earth’s cooling system by reflecting most of the sunlight back into space. Dark ocean waters, in contrast, absorb sunlight and reinforce Arctic warming causing more and more ice to melt. (Graphic: NSIDC)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Hotspot: East Siberian Sea (4/14)

Much of the summer 2007 ice melt occurred in the East Siberian Sea. During late June and early July, sea ice here declined as much as 210,000 square kilometers (81,081 square miles) per day, a daily loss nearly equivalent to the size of the United Kingdom.

In the June 15 image, the ice’s blue-green tint suggests that melting is well underway. In the July 27 image, the area between the Siberian coast and the New Siberian Islands is already largely ice-free. (Graphic: NASA, data by MODIS)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Winter Ice Growth (5/14)

Arctic sea ice has been making a slow recovery this winter. Despite record growth in late October, however, sea ice extent remained below normal. Open water north of Alaska and eastern Siberia is unusual for this time of year.

Record sea ice growth rates after a record low is no surprise. When summer ice hits a record low, large areas of open water provide ample room for winter ice to regrow. (Graphic: NASA, data by NSIDC)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Melting Days in Greenland (6/14)

The world’s largest island is covered by a massive ice sheet with an average thickness of 2.3 kilometers (1.6 miles). If this ice sheet was to melt, global sea levels would rise about five meters (16 feet).

NASA scientists estimate that it would take centuries to melt all the ice on Greenland, but they have observed massive ice loss around the southern fringes of the sheet. From 2003 to 2005, Greenland lost about 101 billion tons of ice annually.(Graphic: NASA)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Vanishing Ice on Svalbard (7/14)

Sunlight shines just after midnight on a fjord near the Norwegian Arctic town of Longyearbyen, on the Svalbard archipelago. Sea water here is normally frozen solid at this time of year, but locals suspect that climate change may be warming the region. (Photo: Reuters)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Polar Bears Stranded (8/14)

Three polar bears on the Beaufort Sea coast in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Polar bears are at high risk of extinction. Scientists from the United States Geological Survey fear that receding polar sea ice will reduce their population by two thirds by mid-century. By 2080, only small numbers would survive in the interior Arctic archipelago. (Photo: Reuters)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Thawing Permafrost (9/14)

Thermokarst lakes appear on thawing permafrost soil in northeast Siberia in August 2007. For thousands of years, layers of animal and plant waste have been sealed inside the frozen permafrost.

Now climate change is thawing the permafrost and lifting this prehistoric ooze from suspended animation. Russian scientists believe that this organic matter will significantly accelerate global warming. (Photo: Reuters)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Leaking Pipelines (10/14)

Oil from a pipeline leaks into wetlands close to the Arctic Circle in northern Russia. Greenpeace estimated in 2000 that 15 million tons of crude oil leak out of Russia's pipeline system every year. While most of this is due to aging material and lack of service, thawing permafrost could add to the problem by destabilizing pipeline foundations. (Photo: Reuters)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

No Man's Land? (11/14)

Without its ice, the North Pole would just be a huge ocean framed by Russia, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Norway. It has been considered international waters for decades, but energy-hungry northern nations have started claiming Arctic waters.

Norway and Russia differ over the Barents Sea, Canada and Denmark are competing over a small island off Greenland, while the Russian parliament is refusing to ratify an agreement with the U.S. over the Bering Sea. Meanwhile Denmark is claiming the North Pole itself. (Graphic: NGDC/NOAA, www.ngdc.noaa.gov)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Northwest Passage (12/14)

The loss of summer ice in the waters north of Canada has made the famous Northwest Passage passable. The passage connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and is by thousands of miles shorter than current routes further south.

Canada claims the route to be national waters, while the United States and the European Union demand free passage. (Graphic: NASA)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Russia: Claiming the North Pole (13/14)

Arctic explorer Artur Chilingarov holds a photograph showing the Russian national flag that was planted 4000-meters deep on the seabed at the North Pole in July 2007. Chilingarov led an expedition of submersibles that planted the Russian national flag on the seabed to claim the energy riches of the Arctic. Russia argues that an underwater mountain below the North Pole is an extension of Russian landmass. (Photo: Reuters)

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Global Warming: The Arctic Meltdown

Canada: Reinforcing Arctic Patrols (14/14)

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper greets Arctic Rangers in the Arctic port of Nanisivik in August 2007, shortly after Russian explorer placed a Russian flag at the North Pole. Canada reiterated its Arctic sovereignty claim, announcing plans for a port and training facility, new patrol ships, and to modernize the part-time paramilitary force that now patrols the area. (Photo: Reuters)

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Climate Stories: The Arctic is Melting

The arctic ice is melting faster than ever. While climate scientists fear a runaway greenhouse effect, politicians are fighting over oil and other resources locked away in the arctic seabed.

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