Record-Breaking Heat in Alaska Wreaks Havoc on Communities and Ecosystems
Per Smithsonian Magazine, abnormally high temperatures have already led to a wide array of ecological breakdowns, with a troubling future in front of us.
While those indifferent to our civilization’s future regard this as no big deal, to the scientific community, and to those who hold science generally in high esteem, consider it a cause for alarm, putting it mildly.
To put this to a broader perspective:
February 2019 had an average volume of Arctic sea ice of 19,779 km3. Which was the 7th lowest in the instrumental record, and 2413 km3 more ice than February 2017 (the lowest year on record).
May 2019 had an average volume of 21,004 km3. That’s the second lowest on record and exceeds 2017’s value by only ~1170 km3.
The heat wave in the Arctic has caused a stall in net arctic sea ice growth between March and May… warm melt currents are driving the ice away from land and lowering the albedo along the shores, which will allow the easier flow of ice into warmer Southern waters through the summer.
May 2019 is now the second lowest for ice extent (2nd only to 2016) as well… This is setting a stage for records to fall, again.
Oops. That should have said “second lowest for Arctic ice extent, second to 2016”.
I honestly haven’t looked at the Antarctic for while, so I don’t know the state of the global ice extent. The site I used to use to keep myself up to speed on the Antarctic went down, so I only find out more about conditions there when something makes the news.