Arctic Sea Ice timelapse from 1978 to 2009

This movie is to show the complete 30 year history of the NSIDC satellite derived arctic sea ice extent in a single video. Brown is land, black is shoreline, blue is water except for the large blue dot in the center of the plot. The movie plays double speed at the beginning because the early satellite collected data every other day. Youll see the large blue circle change in size flashing back and forth between the older and newer sat data just as the video slows down.

After staring at the graphs above you think you understand what is happening as ice gradually shrinks away. Well the high speed video shows a much more turbulent world with changing weather patterns in 2007 and 2008 summer blasting away at the south west corner of the ice. Ive watched it 20 times at least, noticing cloud patterns (causing lower ice levels), winds, water currents and all kinds of different things. Im not so sure anymore that were seeing a consistent decline to polar bear doom, with this kind of variance it might just be everyday noise.

Note that despite some mainstream media reports, our Arctic Sea ice has not melted away, but comes back every year as it has done for millennia..This is the normal season cycle.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• arctic
• sea ice
• cryosphere
• NSIDC
• melting
• ice
• satellite

[dalellll]

This video is showing sea-ice extent, not sea-ice mass. If you show sea ice mass, you see a distinct decline over the last thirty years. You've ignored the actual claims made by climatologists, and chosen a set of data that misses the point.

[Dmanning11]

@mrbrianmccarthy The tertiary factors would be the lesser greenhouse gasses such as CO2, CH4, N2O and so on.

[m1aws]

@dalellll Then explain why The massive Dye2 station in Greenland is almost subsumed into the ice since it was built in the 1960's.

[VictorLepanto]

Thank you for a competant & objecive analysis

[WaxItYourself]

Sea ice extent is measured when sea ice reaches it's lowest level every year. Sea ice mass loss is what we are most interested about. Look up the GRACE satellite system and their discoveries regarding mass loss.

[LiamistheBest13]

Al Gore is a hypocrite, he had/has mines, uses more electricity in one house than my whole street, and you greenies adore him, pathetic

[LiamistheBest13]

the climate changes, but , its the enemy we created according to our trusty politicians, we are to blame, when are they ever going to blame themselves ???????? never

[dalellll]

@Dmanning11 Your division of "primary/secondary" etc factors is misleading. In climatology (and all science), context is everything. The primary factor in the seasons is solar radiation - the sun. The primary factor in the recent global warming trend is CO2 concentration.

[dalellll]

@VictorLepanto Well, no. Mass and volume are not irrelevant, especially to long-term trends. You are oversimplifying the situation a little. Ice volume relates to how much is *retained* over many years. "Piling" looks v different.

[VictorLepanto]

@dalellll: Mass & volume are irrelevant to establishing cooling or warming trends. It is over all area coverd by ice that is meaningful to understanding warming or cooling. Though, ice levels generally are silly way to determine any temp. Ice is subject to air & sea currents. Volume & mass can result from simply being piled by tidal forces & current. Ice carried to a cold spot where it simply doesn't flow out very well. As for the bears, they need thin ice to break through & kill seals.

[Dmanning11]

@mrbrianmccarthy no the green house effect is real, its what keeps the atmosphere from loosing all its thermal energy when its facing away from the sun. The primary factor in the earths climate is the sun (no sun then there is not enough thermal energy to maintain our atmosphere as a gas and the whole lot freezes on the earths surface). The secondary factor would likely be the dense nitrogen, oxygen rich atmosphere, combined with the high moisture content of the lower atmosphere.