Fast melt
Friday, May 4th, 2007The Arctic could be ice-free in summer as soon as 2020. A study of Arctic ice measurements from 1953 to 2006 predicts ice-free summers 30 years earlier than the previously predicted 2050-to-early-22nd-century window. This is not only bad news for polar bears, it accelerates global warming: dark ocean waters absorb more solar heat than reflective ice cover.