What is the current Mass of the Arctic Ice Sheet?

Question

compare 2008 to 2007 and 2007 to the 1979-2000 average level.

Are the ice caps larger this year? Is there more ice today than average?

There's no news about the polar ice caps, so I'm wondering if the news is showing that there might be some cooling in the arctic.

So do you know the current status of the ice cap, and could you provide an up to date link showing the data?

Answer 1

A picture is worth a thousand blogs

This shows 20-6-09 and 20-6-07, 2007 was the largest recorded melt in the Arctic, last year saw the opening of the northwest passage for the first time. this year looks to be about tha same, so far.

Answer 2

The only thing that is 'cooling' is the 'belief' that AGW is a "hoax" or a "scam".  The hero of the far right....President Bush.... is now a member of the AGW  club! The Bush admin. just released the latest report on AGW. ABC News had this to say about it...

http://www.yahoo/s/903298

Got any more ideas?

Answer 3

Roughly the same as last year's record low.

Answer 4

Dr. Jello-- strange isn't it? I found this!

http://wattsupwiththat.wordpress.com/200...

Which charts the return of Arctic ice shelf (and sat picture comparison) ------- this is into 2008

Answer 5

Here's a website for you:

http://igloo.atmos.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/test...

1998 to 2008 is really interesting:

http://igloo.atmos.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/test...

This ones 1979 and 2008:

http://igloo.atmos.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/test...

Again we have more permanent ice on the 2008 image than on the 1979 image.

Oh here's the home page of the website:

http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/

Note how much more permanent Ice we have in 2008 than we did in 1998 - Permanent Ice is shaded White.

Answer 6

Here's some of the more recent information I ran across in a quick search, a final prospectus for public review and comment prior to completing a report:

http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sa...

Most of the other stuff I saw wasn't as recent, but I'm no expert on it...several sources confirmed the net decreases over the last few decades with some year to year variations.

Answer 7

Currently the Arctic ice levels are 0.11 million square miles greater than they were this time last year.

The ice caps are not melting for two reasons.

1) It was colder last winter, the ice levels grew to near record levels

2)It's colder this year, so the ice caps aren't melting as fast as they did last summer.

We need to accept the fact that the Earth is starting to cool off, and that global warming is over.