With record heat for the northern hemisphere this year, Arctic sea ice is fragmenting in places where the ice historically has been the thickest and most enduring. The sea ice north of Greenland has never seen the ice break up so extensively:
"The sea off the north coast of Greenland is normally so frozen that it was referred to, until recently, as 'the last ice area' because it was assumed that this would be the final northern holdout against the melting effects of a hotter planet.Glaciers and polar ice caps constitute an early warning system for a warming climate caused by human activity and greenhouse gasses. The impact can range from coastal flooding to stronger storms caused by slow-moving weather systems, and more:
But abnormal temperature spikes in February and earlier this month have left it vulnerable to winds, which have pushed the ice further away from the coast than at any time since satellite records began in the 1970s."
"As well as reducing ice cover, the ocean intrusion raises concerns of feedbacks, which could tip the Earth towards a hothouse state.We may or may not have reached the point of no return in creating a permanent hot house for Earth. What isn't debatable are the growing signs that the planet is reacting to our greed, ignorance and failed stewardship. We can expect more of the same.
Freakish Arctic temperatures have alarmed climate scientists since the beginning of the year. During the sunless winter, a heatwave raised concerns that the polar vortex may be eroding.
This includes the Gulf Stream, which is at its weakest level in 1,600 years due to melting Greenland ice and ocean warming. With lower circulation of water and air, weather systems tend to linger longer."
