TheVoiceOfJoyce It appears from the map, in the Guardian, sea ice in the Antarctic is melting more rapidly then in previous years. Global warming has created fierce winds and temperatures averaging 1.5 degrees Celsius. Passages are now being traversed in the Antarctic that were blocked 125 yrs ago. We should be unconcerned, are we concerned about coastal flooding? Or are we in denial, like the folks in NJ, attributing whale deaths to wind turbine noise, rather than looking at commercial fishing data, showing 40%+ whales getting trapped in the nets and other fishing paraphernalia? There is no reason to blame wind turbines for whale deaths, when the Fossil Fuel Industry is destroying our Earth, every second of every day.

Posted on by jaslvr

www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/15/antarctic-sea-ice-hits-record-low-climate-crisis

The Antarctic sea ice extent has reached a record low

Remaining ice in 2023

Amery

ice shelf

Weddell

Sea

Filchner-Ronne

ice shelf

South pole

Antarctica

Ross

ice shelf

Ross

Sea

Median ice edge

1981 to 2010

Guardian graphic. Source: National Snow and Ice Data Center

Sea ice melts away in the Antarctic summer before starting to grow again as autumn arrives. “In past years, the annual minimum has occurred between 18 February and 3 March, so further decline is expected,” the NSIDC researchers said. “Much of the Antarctic coast is ice free. Earlier studies have linked low sea ice cover with wave-induced stresses on the floating ice shelves that hem the continent, leading to break up of weaker areas.”

The German scientists said the “intense melting” could be due to unusually high air temperatures to the west and east of the Antarctic peninsula, which were about 1.5C above the long-term average. Furthermore, there have been strong westerly winds, which increase sea ice retreat. The result is “intensified melting of ice shelves, an essential aspect of future global sea-level rise”, the researchers said.

Historical records also show dramatic changes in Antarctica, they said. The Belgian research vessel Belgica was trapped in massive pack ice for more than a year in the Antarctic summer 125 years ago, in exactly the same region where the Polarstern vessel is now sailing in completely ice-free waters.

Prof Carlos Moffat, at the University of Delaware, US, and recently returned from a research

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