Comments on: NSIDC stunner: Arctic ice at “Likely Record-Low Volume”

By: Tyler

Tyler — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:51:00 +0000

Scene: NSIDC offices, October 2, the Autumn Arctic Ocean freeze-up has begun.

“Ok, it’s obvious now. It’s not going to happen.”

“Look, we said “greatest chance.” Relax, we’re covered.”

“Hey, we said “ice free” in June.

“Noooo, we said “distinct possibility.” Ok, we didn’t get that, so go with volume.”

“Ya, but you know we never cited volume in either the 2005 or 2007 press releases about record low ice. I mean, we didn’t even go there in 2006. In fact, we’ve always based our press releases on extent.”

“Come on, everyone can see the coverage, but who’s going to argue with the depth? Besides, it’s our data, our methods, who’s gonna prove us wrong?”

‘They’ll say you can’t measure the depth of 4.5 million square km of ice.”

“I don’t care. We need it. Otherwise we sound like alarmists. Besides, ABC’s hacked. They need a headline to cover that stupid June, shill story they did.”

“But we told them “possible”, “chance.” You said that’s enough!”

“Are you kidding? With all those fanatic deniers out there? I don’t have to remind you this financial crisis is drying up all the funding. This is crunch time.”

“Good point (typing), r-e-c-o-r-d l-o-w v-o-l-u-m-e.”

“Aah! Aah! LIKELY record low volume. That keeps us going for a few months at least. Write that up. I’ll look at it after I get back from my golf game.”

“You can’t. It’s snowing.”

“What! In early October!”

By: Stuart Harmon

Stuart Harmon — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:09:23 +0000

“dropped to the second-lowest level since satellite measurements began in 1979″

So what thats over a time period of 29 years and is therfore meaningless.

Would you prefer glaciation throughout the northen hemisphere.

Wrap up warm its getting colder.

By: egrey

egrey — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:02:32 +0000

I don’t much fancy your chances with the bets, but then this year it was pretty close-run, and I suspect that climate is a bit tricky to predict over short time spans (a few years).

One point that seems to have been missed by those keen to see 2008 as continuing the melting trend, is that the 12 months to Sep08 (end of melt season) started with a significantly smaller area and volume of ice than did the 12 months to Sep07, and a greater proportion of its starting point was the more vulnerable baby ice, yet it still ended with about the same. Thus, whatever it is that causes melting would appear to have been quite considerably less effective in the 12 months to Sep08 than to Sep07.

I will watch with interest how your bets go. I think the climate, and climate science, have a few surprises in store for us.

By: TomG

TomG — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 02:56:06 +0000

It’s interesting where all the older ice is concentrated.
The northern coast of Greenland and extending as a solid mass to the west.
It got me curious, so I did a quick surf and learned that the Fram Strait between Greenland and Spitsbergen is the exit point for most sea ice “exported” out of the Arctic via the East Greenland Current.
The research ship RV Polarstern “…had to cope with exceptional heavy ice coverage” in the Fram this summer (the deniers made a big deal about that if I recall correctly) and I’m wondering if weaker, thinner ice is being “flushed” out of the Arctic Ocean at a greater rate?
Another positive feed-back?

By: David B. Benson

David B. Benson — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:42:28 +0000

Is there a table for this in Las Vegas?