Data released today by the National Snow and Ice Data Center reveal that in the month of November the extent of Arctic sea ice has dropped below the previous record low for November, the extent reached in 2007:
Throughout the year, the extent of sea ice has been well below the 1979-2000 average.
In work associated with the National Snow and Ice Data Center, Ian Simmonds and Kevin Keay have found that years of low sea ice have been more stormy than years with high sea ice, a finding consistent with predictions regarding the albedo effect.
There’s more news out of Antartica that Pine Island and nearby Thwaites Glaciers are beginning to move more rapidly seaward and that this could be the beginning of a HUGE longterm, irreversible trend of calving, melting and more rapid sea-level rise in the decades to come.
Now back to your regularly scheduled program . . .