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With the latest sea ice data for November just in, 2016 continues to be a dramatic year in the Arctic. Following an unusually warm start to the year and record low ice in several months, a markedly sluggish freeze-up season in the back end of the year is also seeing records tumble.
Earlier this week, scientists confirmed the area of Arctic Ocean covered by sea ice – known as sea ice extent – reached a record low in November. Now, figures from the Piomas (Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System) confirm the volume of sea ice also hit record lows.
At close to 8,000 cubic kilometres (cubic km), total sea ice volume in November stood at just 48% of the long-term average and the smallest of any November in the satellite record stretching back to 1979.
Taken together, these findings show little sign of recovery after an exceptionally poor start to the winter freeze-up season. This doesn’t bode well for survival of the ice through next year’s summer melting season, say scientists.
Daily Arctic sea ice volume (relative to the 1979-2015 average) for the satellite record. The blue line shows the trend during the record of a decline of 3,000km3 per decade. Credit: Piomas.
Record low volume highlights exceptional year for Arctic sea ice, Carbon Brief, Dec 7, 2016
The Union of Concerned Scientists, for its part, is preparing for a world in which government scientists might face serious workplace restrictions. It is girding for battle, ready to receive information “securely” and “anonymously” should scientists encounter censorship from political appointees.
“We’ve been to this rodeo before, although the bull this time is a bit tougher,” wrote Michael Halpern, the union’s deputy director of the Center for Science and Democracy, in an email. “Science advocacy used to be primarily about securing funding for research. Now many more scientists care just as much about how the science they create is used or misused to create policy. . . . We’ve heard all kinds of reactions to the election, but we haven’t heard indifference.”
Scientists and environmentalists are bracing for a clash with Trump by Juliet Elperin & Chris Mooney, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Dec 4, 2016
Chart showing daily Arctic sea ice data in 2016 compared to the previous record for each day. Where the line is blue, 2016 was not a record low extent, and where the line is red, it was. Credit: Zack Labe
Record low volume highlights exceptional year for Arctic sea ice, Carbon Brief, Dec 7, 2016
In their WunderBlog (Weather Underground) article, Climate Change Won’t Stop in 2016, Despite Misleading Report, Bob Henson & Jeff Masters prominently discuss and display the following SkS graphic:
Figure 2. Global surface temperature trends for the period 1966 - 2015 analyzed for El Niño years (red boxes), La Niña years (blue boxes), and neutral years (black boxes), along with volcanic years (gold triangles). The three trend lines show that global temperature has been rising at a fairly consistent rate of about 0.15 - 0.17°C (0.27 - 0.31°F) per decade once La Niña and El Niño departures are factored out. Image credit: skepticalscience.com; data from Berkeley Earth.
The above graphic is also prominently included in The Weather Channel article, Note to Breitbart: Earth Is Not Cooling, Climate Change Is Real and Please Stop Using Our Video to Mislead Americans.
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Extreme Weather & Climate Change - What's our Response?
Phil Nelson chairs the Golden Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a volunteer nonpartisan group that promotes putting a price on carbon to counter climate change. CCL’s plan will reduce greenhouse gases while actually boosting the economy. Dr. Nelson is an MIT trained retired geophysicist.
Organized by the Colorado Renewable Energy Society monthly speaker series, Jeffco chapter. Filmed and edited by Martin Voelker, CRES. Published on Nov 20, 2016
Eric Rignot's bio page and Quote source
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Posted by John Hartz on Sunday, 11 December, 2016
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