April 7th, 2009
Too young and too thin?
We’re not talking about pop singers or scrawny fashion models. We’re talking Mother Earth. Specifically the Arctic ice sheets.
The latest data from NASA shows the Arctic ice sheets and thinner and younger than at any time since humans started measuring them. In dealing cards you make cut thin to win. In ice sheets, thin means losing. Losing ice, losing glacier surface area, losing the Arctic’s ability to reflect solar solar.
Satellite inages of Arc tic ice date back ton 1979, a mere blink in geological time. And the past six winters have seen the smallest winter ice coverage in Arctic in those three decades. Old ice is often thicker and more melt-resistant. Once ice older than two years accounted for a third or more of Arctic ice. Now that figure’s down to 10%.
Here’s NASA’s summary of their report. Bottom line: Arctic is on thin ice.
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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