Arctic sea ice is melting twice as fast as expected, the study says

Twice as anxious as expected. According to a study published in The Cryosphere magazine, The Ice float Located on the beach
Arctic Melts twice as fast as estimated so far. According to a survey by University College London (UCL), ice is melting in key Arctic coastal areas 70 to 100% faster than consensus.

If there is such a discrepancy with previous results, this method takes into account its impact because the researchers used the most recent maps of the thickness of the ice above the ice. For decades Climate change. The thickness of the pack ice is actually estimated by measuring the height of the ice above the water, which is distorted by the amount of ice hanging over the pack ice.

Previous calculations based on 20 year old maps

“Previous calculations of pack ice thickness were based on the last updated ice map 20 years ago,” said Robbie Mallet, a doctoral student who led the study. “When the pack ice starts to form later and later, there is less time for the ice covering it to accumulate,” he continues. “Our calculations take this decline into account for the first time, and indicate that sea ice is melting faster than we thought.”

The researchers used a European Space Agency satellite to calculate the height of the ice above the water and its actual total thickness, and this estimate was developed with the University of Colorado (USA) in addition to a new model to calculate the thickness of the ice. Combined, these results allowed us to measure the overall rate of snowfall and its variance from year to year.

Towards the acceleration of global warming?

“This is an” important step “in making the interpretation of the data we receive from satellites more accurate,” said Professor Julian Strove, co-author of the report, recalling that the Arctic is warming three times faster than the global average.

“This is important because thick snow acts as an insulating blanket, Prevents warming of the atmosphere in winter, And protecting the ocean from the summer sun, he explained, “with the thin snow and the chance of survival as summer melted.”