It’s The Wind, Stupid

4 Responses to It’s The Wind, Stupid

1. darrylb says:

   November 11, 2013 at 4:18 pm

   Mob instinct. Lynch the deniers before determining the truth!!

   Reply
2. Bill Illis says:

   November 11, 2013 at 5:35 pm

   Two very good animations which should make this very clear.

   First, an animation of the age of the ice from 1987-2011 and the importance of the Beaufort Gyre and the Fram Strait.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLeiPQudAJc

   And then the Beaufort Gyre starts up again in 2013 which allowed the ice to grow this year. It was heralded as “Crackopalypse” by many but it was really the Gyre resuming its normal wind-driven circulation which allowed more multi-year ice to survive the melt season in the Beaufort rather than getting flushed out the Fram to melt in the “warm” north Atlantic.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YWX7ChjtxY

   The normal circulation pattern in the Arctic Ocean.

   http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/seaice/images/beaufort_gyre.jpg

   Its not hard to see how prevailing patterns over 5 to 8 years could result in increasing sea ice trends or declining sea ice trends.

   Reply
3. DSC says:

   November 11, 2013 at 7:36 pm

   I see where the artic ice extent leveled out for a couple of days (not unusual) and now is showing growth again. I figure the wind may have been compacting the ice?

   Reply
   • stevengoddard says:

     November 11, 2013 at 7:41 pm

     Making it thicker and harder to melt next summer.

     Reply