The Arctic is quickly melting at 
http://www.catlinarcticsurvey.com/
Julienne Stroeve, a research scientist with the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado, said conditions in the Arctic have been deteriorating for several years, and it isn’t inconceivable that some day, attempts to reach the Pole might become too dangerous.
“I don’t think we will ever see the Arctic ice-free all year round,” said Stroeve.
“But in my lifetime, we may see spring and summer months with very little, or no ice, making North Pole treks nearly impossible.”
In September 2007, scientists around the world sounded alarms when an extreme meltdown reduced the ice cover from a winter maximum of about 15 million square kilometres to an end-of-summer minimum of just over four million square kilometres.
Since then, summer ice cover has repeatedly fallen below the 30-year average minimum of about seven million square kilometres. The centre reports that February 2011 tied with February 2005 for the lowest ice cover ever, at just over 5.5 million square kilometres.
Stroeve added that along with the overall shrinkage in ice area, the polar region’s oldest and thickest slabs are increasingly being replaced by younger and thinner ice – a trend that makes the ice pack unstable and trekking much more dangerous.
Why do they go there when the ice is melting? Why not when it’s freezing and growing? Sounds like a publicity propaganda stunt to “show melting ice” which of course happens EVERY year.
“Stroeve added that along with the overall shrinkage in ice area, ………”
Weird, I only experience shrinkage in cold water……….. :-)…… I know, I know…..
“Since then, summer ice cover has repeatedly fallen below the 30-year average minimum of about seven million square kilometres. The centre reports that February 2011 tied with February 2005 for the lowest ice cover ever, at just over 5.5 million square kilometres.”
That’s one way to characterize the ice coverage…….another would be that the ice cap hasn’t gotten anywhere close to the summer low of 2007.
Steve? You sick or something? No spaghetti graphs?
http://www.ijis.iarc.uaf.edu/seaice/extent/AMSRE_Sea_Ice_Extent.png
http://www.ijis.iarc.uaf.edu/seaice/extent/AMSRE_Sea_Ice_Area.png
Continuing the shrinkage posit……the polar region’s oldest and thickest slabs are increasingly being replaced by younger and thinner ice – a trend that makes the ice pack unstable and trekking much more dangerous.
Now I know your ill…….. where’s your graph on the ice thickness?
http://www7320.nrlssc.navy.mil/pips2/ithi.html
http://www7320.nrlssc.navy.mil/pips2/archive/retrievepic.html?filetype=Thickness&year=2007&month=3&day=14
One can open these in different tabs to compare. Yes, there is a discernible decrease in the 4-5 meter thick ice. However, there is an easily noticed increase in the ice 2-4 meters thick, replacing ice < 2 meters.
Cheers.
Oh damn! Steve, I put too many links in my post…..stuck in moderation hell!
Black is white and white is black.