Arctic ice sheet melting

1
Arctic ice sheet melting.its effects on global
warming

• Atreyee Bhattacharya
• EPS 131

2
Overview of the talk

• Why should be study the Arctic?
• How do we study the melting of arctic sea ice
• The findings of the study
• Conclusions and predictions

3
..the ignored danger!

• Decreasing albedo
• Warmer oceans warmer atmosphere
• Ice sheet melting
• Fresh water deluge
• Shutdown of thermohaline circulation
• Drastic cooling

4
The decay rate

• Image NOAA

                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                        
5
How fast Is the ice melting(using ice drafts)

• How do we know that the arctic ice sheet has
  dwindled?
• Answer) Ice drafts
• 3 m 2 m
• volume is down by some 40.
• area shrunk by 6

• SCICEX data,1999
• Rothrock et al 1999

6
The ice is melting probably because

• multi-decadal cycle ?
• OR
• continue the observed  decline?
  
• Answer Greenhouse gas concentration!!

7
Effects on ecology and mankind

• 1.Changes in migration patterns and habitat of
  terrestrial and marine mammals.
• 2.Changes in the availability of food resources
  for sea birds and marine life.
• 3. Changes in storm surges, shore erosion, and
  wind.
• ..implies recent effects as observed in 1996
• 4. Changes in precipitation in the summer, fall,
  and winter
• ..implies drying up of traditional food
• 5. A reduction in sea-ice and changes in the
  timing of ice formation and thaw in the Bering
  and Chukchi Seas.
• implies the poor hunting during 1997 and 1998

8
References

• 1. Arctic Sea-Ice Changes, Causes, and
  ImplicationsUSGCRP Seminar, 20 April 1999
• 2. 6.Ecology.com
• 3. NOOA
• 4. Ohio State University Department of Mechanical
  Engineering, Science Daily.
• 5. Rothrock. D.A., Yu. Y. , Maykut. G.A.,
  Thinning of the Arctic Sea-Ice Cover. Geophysical
  Research Letters, Vol. 26,No. 23, pages
  3469-3472, December 1, 1999
• 6. US geological survey

9
Thank you!!

• Questions??