Arctic ice faces accelerated meltdown

0 Comments | AFP, December, 2006

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The worrying shrinkage of Arctic sea ice could accelerate dramatically in coming decades, leaving the planet's most northerly ocean virtually devoid of ice in summer by 2040, according to a new study. The paper, which appeared in the US journal Geophysical Research Letters on Tuesday, mainly points the finger at greenhouse-gas emissions.

It warned that if carbon pollution continues to increase at present rates, the Arctic's normal cycle of freezing and thawing faces catastrophic disruption. A simulation run by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Canada's McGill University predicted that the area covered by ice in September -- before new ice begins to form each year -- could shrink from about 5.9 million square kilometres...