blog #4
Arctic Sea Ice at Record Low
by Catherine Jex
May 31, 2016
The steady decline in sea ice began in 1978, but since 2007 the rate of decline seems to be only accelerating. As a result of this loss, the system gets sent into a feedback loop known as “ice-albedo” feedback, wherein the thinning of the ice is exacerbated by a positive feedback loop. Prior to 2007, ocean currents had allowed for the ice to circle long enough to form thick layers. As this process is no longer occurring, the majority of sea ice is now thin layer, and scientists fear that should no counter-change occur, the Arctic may soon be only thin ice. The current forecast expects the Arctic to be ice free for 7 months of the year, leaving global temperatures with no where to go but up.
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