Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) say that sea ice loss in the Arctic is likely to surpass 40% according to computer models. This can have a profound effect on marine mammals.

“An Australian-led expedition is using lasers on helicopters in Antarctica and satellites for the first time to determine whether sea ice in the Southern Ocean is changing in response to climate change.”

North Pole explorations may be hindered in the future because of global warming. Leading polar adventurers said that in a decade or two, summer trips over ice to the Pole may not be possible.

Richard Peltier, a professor of atmospheric physics at the University of Toronto says that the greenhouse effect 700 million years ago probably prevented the earth to be covered by massive ice sheets and saved primitive life from extinction.

Climate scientists are reporting a record rate of ice melting in Greenland due to rising temperatures. Over the last year, Greenland has lost an amount of ice equivalent to two times all the ice in the Alps.

“In what some scientists see as another alarming consequence of global warming, thousands of Pacific walruses above the Arctic Circle were killed in stampedes earlier this year after the disappearance of sea ice caused them to crowd onto the shoreline in extraordinary numbers.”

Satellite images show a stunning loss of Arctic sea ice compare to previous levels recorded in 2005. Since then, there has been a 23% reduction equating to the size of Ontario.

A team of international climate scientists have published a comprehensive study revealing the regions most at risk due to climate change. Some of these regions include the Arctic sea ice, Greenland ice sheet, Amazon rainforest and the northern Boreal forest.

International climate scientists have identified “tipping points” caused by climate change for nine scenarios. “A tipping point is defined as the point where a small increase in temperature or other change in the climate could trigger a disproportionately larger change in the future.” The nine scenarios include: Arctic sea ice, Greenland ice sheet, West Antarctic ice sheet, Gulf Stream, El Niño, Indian monsoon, West African monsoon, Amazon rainforest and the Boreal forests.

The author of this article points to some controversial benefits that may come from global warming, namely the uncovering of a long-buried portion of our earth and the opening of northern sea routes. This article makes an interesting contrast to the current literature on global warming. Let us know what you think about this position.