Arctic sea ice

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Tourists Flock to Earth's Iciest Spots, Before They All Melt

Critics say such cruises are further harming the environment; advocates say they raise awareness

(Newser) - The continued melting of Arctic glaciers and sea ice is causing climate scientists' brows to furrow and existential anxiety in the general public concerned about the state of the Earth—but it's also apparently causing "gotta get one last cruise in" vibes. Since 2016, cruise ships departing from...

This Grim Arctic Milestone Is Only Years Away
This Grim Arctic Milestone
Is Only Years Away
NEW STUDY
Mar 6, 2024 4:25 PM CST

This Grim Arctic Milestone Is Only Years Away

Decades after its first 'ice-free' day, ocean could be mostly water for months and months

(Newser) - If the Arctic were a color, it would be white. But not for long, apparently. Scientists say to expect a "blue Arctic" in summer months within a decade as emissions from the burning of fossil fuels continue to warm the planet, melting Arctic sea ice . Researchers used climate models...

Scientists Followed 20 Polar Bears. Their Findings Are Grim

The creatures are starving as climate change causes ice melt and they can't access main prey

(Newser) - Imagine being a nursing mom who can't produce milk because you're starving, or trying to swim more than 100 miles after not eating for days. Those are just a couple of the scenarios Time notes are now plaguing polar bears in the Arctic as sea ice continues to...

Group of Polar Bears Finds Ice to Cling To
Group of Polar Bears
Finds Ice to Cling To
new study
Jun 16, 2022 4:45 PM CDT

Group of Polar Bears Finds Ice to Cling To

Other indicators for the population's future aren't great, researchers say

(Newser) - With the polar bear species in a fight for survival because of disappearing Arctic sea ice, a new distinct group of Greenland bears seem to have stumbled on an icy oasis that might allow a small remote population to "hang on." But it's far from the "...

Scientists Warn of 'Scary' Collapse of Ocean Current
Scientists Warn of 'Scary'
Collapse of Ocean Current
in case you missed it
Aug 8, 2021 8:00 AM CDT

Scientists Warn of 'Scary' Collapse of Ocean Current

Researcher says Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is destabilizing

(Newser) - An ocean current that is effectively the engine that drives weather patterns is in danger, a new study suggests. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is a current that moves surface water north from the tropics, warming seawater and adding salt, bringing warm water to the East Coast and Europe, then...

Arctic Sea Ice Is Melting Twice as Fast Now
Arctic Sea Ice
Is Melting Twice
as Fast Now
new study
Jun 7, 2021 5:20 PM CDT

Arctic Sea Ice Is Melting Twice as Fast Now

Cycle of rising temperatures, thinning ice worries researchers

(Newser) - The melting ice in the Arctic is part of a worrisome climate change loop, researchers say. Global temperatures are rising, which causes more Arctic ice to melt, which exposes more dark water to the sun, which raises global temperatures. In fact, the Guardian reports, sea ice in much of the...

EPA's First Climate Update Since 2016 Is Dire

'Americans are seeing and feeling the impacts up close with increasing regularity'

(Newser) - The EPA's website dedicated to climate change indicators wasn't updated once under the Trump administration. Now, it's been given a facelift —and a disturbing one at that. The US is in unprecedented territory with the effects of climate change intensifying even since 2016, according to the...

Brace Yourself: the Arctic Report Card Is Out

It won't look the same in three decades, scientist says

(Newser) - The Arctic sure isn't what it used to be. As temperatures continue to rise, ice melts, snow recedes, and more dramatic changes are on tap for the region, according to the annual NOAA Arctic Report Card released Tuesday. Speaking to reporters, per Scientific American , scientist Rick Thoman called the...

Huge Piece of Ice Cap Splits Off, Worrying Scientists

42-square-mile chunk breaks away in northeastern Arctic

(Newser) - An enormous chunk of Greenland's ice cap has broken off in the far northeastern Arctic, a development that scientists say is evidence of rapid climate change. The glacier section that broke off is 42.3 square miles, the AP reports. It came off of the fjord called Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden, which...

New Study Has Grim News on Polar Bears

They could be almost completely extinct by 2100

(Newser) - Polar bears are likely to be almost completely extinct by the end of this century if climate change continues at its current pace, a new study warns. Scientists already knew polar bears were in deep trouble—they depend on sea ice to survive, and sea ice is disappearing—but researchers...

Container Ship Set for Arctic Marks a 'Turning Point'

Maersk's 'trial' has environmentalists on edge

(Newser) - The world's largest container shipping company will follow explorers who sought sea passages through the Arctic half a millennium ago, though likely with more success thanks to global warming. In what NPR calls a turning point, Denmark-based Maersk will send the first container ship—a 42,000-ton vessel housing...

'Scary' First Hits Arctic's Thickest Ice

Oldest section of sea ice has already shattered 2 times this year

(Newser) - Scientists called it "the last ice area," believing the oldest and thickest section of Arctic sea ice north of Greenland would be the last to remain as our planet warms. Turns out, it's already broken up twice this year, reports the Guardian . More than 13 feet thick...

'We Stood There Crying': Crew Films Starving Polar Bear

Conservation group says it illustrates threat to the bears as ice retreats from Arctic

(Newser) - The video is tough to watch: A crew from the conservation group Sea Legacy came across a starving polar bear in Canada's Baffin Islands that clearly didn't have long to live. "We stood there crying—filming with tears rolling down our cheeks," photographer Paul Nicklen tells...

Tanker Is 1st Ship to Cross Arctic Without Icebreaker

Shrinking ice and new technology helped

(Newser) - For the first time in history, a ship was able to traverse the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic without the help of an accompanying icebreaker thanks to new tanker technology—and climate change. The New York Times reports the Christophe de Margerie, carrying liquefied natural gas from Norway to...

Walruses Show Up Early in Alaska as Ice Recedes

It's the earliest 'haulout' ever

(Newser) - Sign of the times? Several hundred Pacific walruses began amassing on an island off Alaska’s northwest coast in the first week of August in what wildlife officials say is the earliest date yet for their annual "haulout." The culprit appears to be shrinking Arctic ice. Walruses tend...

What May Vanish From the Arctic by 2030

Scientists: There could be no more summer ice by then, thanks to climate change

(Newser) - Fancy an Arctic cruise? With climate change melting the planet's sea ice faster than ever, the globe's northern-most points could become a check on the well-traveled tourist's bucket list. That possibility is giving goose bumps to maritime experts who say safety measures are lacking. "It's...

As Sea Ice Dwindles, Polar Bear Attacks Rise

20% of polar bear attacks happened in last 5 years of 144-year study

(Newser) - There were only 73 reported polar bear attacks on humans between 1870 and 2014, according to a study published this month in Wildlife Society Bulletin . But 20% of those attacks happened in just the last five years of the study, and Alaska Dispatch News reports researchers have found a correlation...

Arctic Ocean Doing Its Best Atlantic Ocean Impression

And that's not great news for sea ice

(Newser) - The "Atlantification" of the Arctic Ocean is underway. And no, that doesn't mean we're about to get the polar bear version of Outkast, but rather that the Arctic Ocean is rapidly becoming more like the Atlantic Ocean, according to new research published Thursday. The Arctic Ocean has...

Scientists Plan to Strand a Ship in Arctic Ice

Polarstern will drift across North Pole so researchers can get info on climate change

(Newser) - The nearly 400-foot-long Polarstern is designed to break through ice in frigid waters—but for an upcoming trip to study climate change, Germany is going to purposely let its ship become stuck in the middle of the floes, per the BBC . In what the Telegraph paints as a "daring...

It's 'Absurdly Warm' in the Arctic Right Now

And sea ice is at its lowest point ever

(Newser) - Experts are calling it "unprecedented," "scary," and "alarming." Wired reports air temperatures in the arctic are currently 20 to 30 degrees above normal. Or in the words of one of those experts: "It's absurdly warm." And that means arctic sea ice—...

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