Read this today on Boing Boing. Pretty fitting since I’m currently reading Bjorn Lomborg’s controversial book, “Cool It”.
Earlier this year, predictions were rife that the North Pole could melt entirely in 2008. Instead, the Arctic ice saw a substantial recovery. Bill Chapman, a researcher with the UIUC’s Arctic Center, tells DailyTech this was due in part to colder temperatures in the region. Chapman says wind patterns have also been weaker this year. Strong winds can slow ice formation as well as forcing ice into warmer waters where it will melt.
Link via Sea ice area returns to 1979 level – Boing Boing .
Update: As with everything concerned with global warming there is far from a consensus on this issue. To see a different side of the story that interprets graphs (not sure from what source though) as showing a rise in December, but an ultimately downward trend click here.
Update #2: In order to clarify this post for those out there that have already mischaracterized it. By no means am I claiming here that the trend is downward. I think it’s fairly clear to see that using the particular data for this instance the ultimate trend is down. However, this is not what me, nor Boing Boing was claiming. Simply read the headline, it claims that sea ice levels returned to the 1979 levels. This does not mean that the average is what it was in 1979 nor that levels are now higher nor that the trend is upward: it simply says its returned. For a further discussion of why I disagree with those aforementioned links see my most recent post.