September 14th, 2006, 14:29
According to the BBC, there has been a dramatic shrinkage in Arctic sea ice. Perennial ice, which usually does not melt year in year out, has been declining at an average of 7% per DECADE since records began about 30 years ago. Last year (in just ONE YEAR) the ice that melted away constituted 14% of it's mass.
As the BBC states, the implications from this are that 'Ice reflects the Sun's energy back into space; open water absorbs it. So a planet with less ice warms faster, potentially turning the projected impacts of global warming into reality sooner than anticipated'.
As the BBC states, the implications from this are that 'Ice reflects the Sun's energy back into space; open water absorbs it. So a planet with less ice warms faster, potentially turning the projected impacts of global warming into reality sooner than anticipated'.