Green Options » arctic ice

Arctic Sea Ice Lowest in 800 Years

Bryan Nelson — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:19:23 +0000

A plethora of corroborative data shows that this year’s sea ice levels in the Arctic are the lowest seen in 800 years.

The new research, published in the journal Climate Dynamics, doesn’t specify a cause or reason for the retreat, but it does note that if sea ice melt continues at this level, it’s likely that the North Pole will be completely ice-free during the summer months within a few decades.

US Bans Commercial Fishing in Arctic as Ice Recedes

Timothy B. Hurst — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:27:44 +0000

In response to the rapid decline of Arctic sea ice in the last thirty years, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council has unanimously voted to prohibit fishing in nearly 200,000 square miles of Arctic waters.

The plan bans commercial fishing in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which stretches from 3 miles offshore to 200 miles offshore, starting at the Bering Strait and extending north and east to the U.S.-Canada border.

No fishing of any considerable scale occurs in the Arctic, and the few surveys of fish stocks done there have not shown large populations. But some experts say it’s that commercially valuable seafood species such as pollock or crab populations could expand in the Arctic, especially as water warms and ice unlocks.

‘Global Warming Rug’ to Debut at International Furniture Fair in Spain

Adam Williams — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:07:27 +0000

Coming up in a couple of weeks is the International Furniture Fair in Valencia Spain, Sept. 23-27. There, from the NEL Collective (produced by Nanimarquina), will be the Global Warming Rug. The rug (shown above) features a blue sea spotted by a lonely ice floe with a polar bear riding out his isolated, floating fate.

Source: designboom.com

Minimum Ice Record Unlikely for 2008

Joshua S Hill — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:21:53 +0000

Over the past 12 months there has been one big fear lingering over the environmental community. It was a year ago that we were watching the Arctic ice disappearing at a tremendous rate, and saw it slip to its lowest levels in recorded history. Subsequently, we also saw the complete opening of the Northwest Passage for the first time in recorded history.

With the dawn of 2008’s northern summer, fears were that that minimum level of ice would once again be broken. However according to experts, no new records will be broken this year.