The climate is changing, and while we can globally observe a temperature increase, the Arctic is warming at double that pace (the Arctic warmed by about 2-3°C in the last 60 years). However, this temperature increase is just a response of the climate to other processes that are going on in our atmosphere. The temperature increase can be related, for example, to an increase of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, as greenhouse gases “trap” heat in the atmosphere (similar to a real greenhouse). As a response to the temperature increase in the Arctic, the sea ice is also observed to be declining (by as much as 12% per decade since we started to observe sea ice with satellites in 1979). In short, many of the processes we are observing in the atmosphere are just a response to other processes that are happening at the same time (or even earlier in time, as sometimes the atmosphere tends to react slowly to changes). In this example, increased greenhouse gases lead to temperature increases, which lead to Arctic sea ice melt.
However, one should not think that the ice extent is continually lower year after year. Some years show a higher/lower ice extent than others. For example, the summer of 2007 and 2012 were years with an extremely low sea-ice extent, while the years 2008 to 2011 showed an extent larger than these other two years. In my research, I am trying to investigate which processes in the atmosphere are responsible for such variability in the sea-ice extent. So I use data from climate models combined with observational data. Why do we have years that show a higher/lower sea-ice extent than others? Can we attribute this to atmospheric processes? And if so, which processes are responsible, and to what extent (thinking about the cause and effect)? Some processes to think about, for example, are the effect of clouds and greenhouse gases in the Arctic in different seasons, changes in the transport of heat into the Arctic due to storms originating in lower latitudes or other large-scale weather systems, the effect of strong winds on the sea ice, and many others…
– Marie Kapsch
Dear Marie Kapsch,
by the rate of the melting of the ice and the different pattern it shows over the years do you think that maybe in a couple years the artic we know today may not exist? LEOMHS.
Hi Daniella, I spoke to Marie, and here’s the answer, straight from her: Currently the Arctic is ice covered throughout the year, with its maximum ice cover around March and its minimum ice cover in September. In recent decades, satellite images have shown a decreasing trend in the amount of annual sea-ice cover. If this trend continues at its current rate the Arctic is likely, as you mentioned, to change dramatically. A recent study, based on climate model projections and the downward trends in ice volume and extent, suggests that the Arctic might become ice free in summer within the first half of the 21st century. Thus, the largest changes in the Arctic are likely to occur in the summer months, at least in terms of the ice extent.
Hi ‘ I’m Antwanique & I was wondering do ice caps help To reduce global warning ?
Hi Antwanique, polar ice caps actually reflect some of the Sun’s heat away from the Earth, since the ice is white (just like you feel cooler on a sunny day if you wear a white shirt instead of a black shirt). So as polar ice melts, more energy from the Sun will be absorbed, which will have a warming effect.
Hi I’m a student fro L.E.O.M and I was wondering is there any way to stop the weather from getting hotter? Do you study possibilities while you are up there? Thank You
Hi Ian, if you can figure out how to stop the climate from getting warmer, you will be famous! 🙂 You are on the right track, scientists are here studying how the Arctic (including the sea ice, ocean, and atmosphere) is affected by changes in the climate, and also how changes in the Arctic affect the rest of the world – because the atmosphere and oceans are all connected, so changes in one place can affect another! As far as what we can do, as individuals, conserving energy and recycling really does make a difference to the environment – and we can all convince our schools and offices to do better as well. And I also hope that governments from around the world, including our own, look at the data and results from scientists, and work to put together policies that help more with climate issues, like limiting greenhouse gas emissions that help warm the planet. Even in Miami, there has been progress towards making things more “green” by planting trees and conserving water, etc. In our new Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science that we are building downtown right now, we are making the building as “green” as possible!
Hello, i’m a student attending L.E.O.M.H.S, I was reading your article on the polar bear sightings and my question for you would be, due to global warming, would you say that polar bears could possibly be extinct in a couple of years?
Dear Emily, it makes me sad to say this, but I am worried about the future of polar bears. They count on the presence of sea ice to survive, and with less and less sea ice to use as hunting grounds to find food in the ocean, they will have a harder and harder time surviving. I couldn’t even begin to quote any exact number of years for polar bears to become extinct, but as the climate is warming, and the sea ice melting, it will definitely be more difficult for polar bears to survive. 🙁
Hello, i’m a student attending L.E.O.M.H.S, I was reading an article on “Atmosphere-Sea Ice Interactions”and my question for you would be, do you have a possible explanation for the high/low sea ice extent?
Hi Emily, great question, we have scientists here right now working on computer models to figure out that exact thing! Since the atmosphere, sea ice, and ocean are all connected, what happens with one of those pieces can affect another of those pieces. So it can be a really complex problem to figure out. Scientists put lots of factors into the models like wind, temperature, time of year, and any special conditions like storms, etc, and the computer model can run for hours and hours (that’s just for a simple model even) to try to figure that all out!
In the artic ocean, how much denser is the water than the water on the mediterranean sea?
Dear Ariel, there are a couple different factors to consider when thinking about this density comparison. One is saltiness, and the other is temperature. Salty water is denser than fresh water, and cold water is denser than warm water. Since the Arctic is colder than the Mediterranean, but the Mediterranean is saltier than the Arctic, the density would probably be similar.
Whats the difference between traveling on the artic ocean where you cut the ice and the water is less denser then than traveling through the mediterranean sea and the water being much denser?
Hi Ariel, if you’re talking only about traveling through the water, it is definitely more difficult to travel in the Arctic than in the Mediterranean. But this is not due to water density, it is due to the sea ice, which can get really thick and hard to break through. (The ship can make it through ice 6 feet thick though!)
I am a student from ms.gilberts class my question is How are the work of a oceanographers study and the work of a science curvature different a similar from each other?
Hi Ashley, good question, I think the main similarities between an oceanographer (or the other scientists onboard), and my job as a science curator, is that it is all of our jobs to understand what is going on in science today – what are the most important and current topics in the field, and how we affect the ocean and the environment, and vice versa. The main difference between the two jobs I think is that oceanographers, atmospheric scientists, biochemists, etc do the work to observe and understand those environments, and I do the work to try to connect all of those amazing discoveries with you and everyone else! 🙂
What is the average temperature during the day and night?
Hi Denyse, the average temperature hasn’t changed much from day to day, or from day to night, while we have been in the Arctic. It is summer, which means it is light all the time. We have had temperatures ranging from -7°C (19°F) up to freezing.
Once Arctic sea ice is broken up, does it melt faster?
Hi Denyse, no, when the icebreaker breaks the ice, it does not affect the ice long term, because the ship is so small compared to the ice. Wind and waves can also move or break up ice, but large scale, long-term, significant melting would only occur due to larger climate processes.
Hi Marie,
I was wondering what the variability of cloud types/heights is over the arctic? Do clouds over the arctic produce a net negative feedback or net positive?
Thanks for your interesting report!
Anthony
Dear Anthony,
Thanks for your interesting and very good question! Previous studies have shown that in the Arctic clouds exist in different heights of the atmosphere (reaching from low to high levels). The most dominant cloud types observed over the Arctic are Stratocumulus, Nimbostratus, Altostratus and Cirrus clouds, in case you are interested in the specific cloud types. However, over the ocean areas more low clouds are present than over land. And it is especially these low clouds that are important for net radiative effect (which I assume you refer to as ‘feedback’).
In general low clouds tend to cool the surface, as they lead to an increase of the amount of solar radiation that is reflected back to space. High clouds on the other hand tend to warm the surface, as they prevent the terrestrial radiation from escaping to space. While high and mid-level clouds have no strong seasonal cycle in the Arctic, low level clouds show a strong one. In summer you can observe much more low level clouds than in winter. Thus, during a few weeks in summer clouds tend to cool the surface, which leads to a negative net radiative effect. During the rest of the year clouds warm the surface (positive net radiative effect).
Note that the warming of the Arctic during recent decades (also called Arctic amplification) has affected the cloud amount and the occurrence of different cloud types. This will of course also impact the net radiative warming/cooling. Further, a changing sea-ice cover (due to its optical properties and its function as boundary between ocean and atmosphere) will have impact on clouds and vice versa.
Marie