The dynamic duo of Mark Serreze and Joe Romm made these remarks two weeks ago.
We’re at a record low Arctic sea ice extent and volume:
The area of the Arctic ocean at least 15% covered in ice is … lower than the previous record low set in 2007 – according to satellite monitoring by the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado. In addition, new data from the University of Washington Polar Science Centre, shows that the thickness of Arctic ice this year is also the lowest on record.
In the past 10 days, the Arctic ocean has been losing as much as 150,000 square kilometres of sea a day, said Mark Serreze, director of the NSIDC.
“The extent [of the ice cover] is going down, but it is also thinning. So a weather pattern that formerly would melt some ice, now gets rid of much more. There will be ups and downs, but we are on track to see an ice-free summer by 2030. It is an overall downward spiral.“
The trend is painfully obvious to all who aren’t blinded by ideology. Indeed, many, including me, believe we’ll see virtually ice-free summers within a decade.
Ever since Serreze made that comment, melt has been at a record low rate – as predicted by the “breathtakingly ignorant.” What is painfully obvious is that these self-proclaimed prophets are blinded by their misplaced faith in James Hansen.
You are not being inclusive. You should understand that your post might hurt their feelings if you turn out to be right.
“In the past 10 days, the Arctic ocean has been losing as much as 150,000 square kilometres of sea a day, said Mark Serreze”
I love how they make it sound like once it melts, it is lost forever. What a weird world they live in where their belief in AGW has led them accept that water will no longer freeze in the Arctic because it is getting hot, and will do nothing but get hotter. Sea ice freezes in the winter and melts in the summer. It has been doing that far longer than their snapshot view of Earth history.
Don’t they realize that if their theories were correct, the Earth would be inhospitable by now?
Obama’s science advisor warned of ice-free winters
Exactly. They really believe that the climate will do nothing but heat and heat and heat. Venus! Those CO2 molecules are really magical. Hit them with a little LW radiation and they just keep heating things up. Perpetual heat mahines. What a bunch of idiots. No other way to put it.
I’m still trying to figure out how we lose 150,000 kilometres of sea per day. Would not that mean that the Arctic is actually freezing? Otherwise, wouldn’t we actually be losing 150,000 kilometres of ice per day?
And I guess it doesn’t really matter either way .. it’s just as funny.
It’s so hot in the arctic, the sea completely evaporates at that rate.
“It is an overall downward spiral.”
Yes, a downward spiral that has lasted for an incredible .0000009% of the Earth’s history. Our fate is sealed. Egads.
I love this line: “The trend is painfully obvious to all who aren’t blinded by ideology.” because most that have done any reading about historic Arctic conditions know the current conditions are near middle of the road compared to past extreme conditions of year round ice or months of ice free conditions. Let us just say that the Vikings would not be able to survive on Greenland under the current conditions with their level of technology in the MWP. Hannibal would not be able to cross the Alps today using his level of technological advance.
So the trend is painfully obvious that the Arctic region is repeating past patterns of natural weather variations and those “Blinded” think it is cause for concern or some unusual event.
Ok, who’s dumping Viagra on Arctic ice?
I think we have to add the “Serreze effect” to the Gore effect. Every time Serreze gets excited about the ice melt and makes proclamations, the trend suddenly reverses again.
The last few weeks of low melt rate are quite exceptional. The melt over the last 21 days is the second lowest rate since 1972. The second lowest in 39 years. Something very unusual is going on or the data is corrupted.
It is worse than they thought! The horror!
I wonder how much it would cost to have Mark Serreze give a talk about the ice in my gin & tonic being doomed by some Trent Reznor album, or perhaps even have Algore stand next to my gin & tonic.
Okay, 08/02 JAXA value in…2500 km^2 loss, not a gain.
My updated prediction is now 4609195 km^2 for the JAXA daily value. The CAGW believers are sure that extent is going to take a plunge (seems like they’re predicting a big change [supposedly already begun] in the weather that’ll push a lot of ice out the Fram Strait), but my spreadsheet has it about the same place it did before. Why is that? Because it doesn’t take weather into account at all. 🙂
My only big question is weather the area is as poor as CT says it is of if we’re actually above 2007 by quite a bit like NANSEN would suggest.
-Scott
the latest tick points upwards! Run for your lives!
“We’re at a record low Arctic sea ice extent and VOLUME” How do they know the “volume”?
You’d have to know the sea ice area – which is ESTIMATED from satellite remote sensing (but there is a lot of error).
And you’d have to know the sea ice thickness – which is measured/estimated HOW?
Serreze’s model(s), actually. It’s not insane; it’s Ourboros the Scientific!
Whoosh! [makes top-of-head-skimming movement] I had to look that up. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ourboros