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Sunday, July 5th, 2015

Melting Arctic sea ice could be disrupting the oceans’ circulation—with major consequences

Author:     Chelsea Harvey
Source:     The Washington Post
Publication Date:     29 June 2015
 Link: Melting Arctic sea ice could be disrupting the oceans’ circulation—with major consequences
Stephan:   As Greenland and the Arctic melt we all know about the effect this will have on polar bears and other creatures. And we have at least a conceptual sense of what sea rise is going to do to the littorals of the world. But few people, even scientists have really comprehended the effect this melting will have on the great conveyor currents of the world ocean. Now a report has come out with real data and a coherent assessment of what is going on. It's not a pretty picture. Get used to the term "overturning" you are going to be hearing more and more about this process. We're not going to do anything about it until it is too late.
The surface of the Greenland ice sheet. A new study uses NASA data to provide the first detailed reconstruction of how the ice sheet and its many glaciers are changing. The research was led by University at Buffalo geologist Beata Csatho.

The surface of the Greenland ice sheet.

We already know that melting sea ice in the Arctic is bad news. Less ice means less habitat for animals like polar bears, and it also means there are fewer reflective surfaces in the North to bounce sunlight back into space, allowing the planet to absorb more heat. And as global warming continues to warm up the Earth, we’re only going to lose more ice.

A study released Monday in Nature Climate Change is drawing attention to yet another ice-related problem — one that could cause some large-scale consequences. According to the study, retreating sea ice could disrupt a major ocean circulation pattern and even affect climate patterns in Europe.

As it turns out, sea ice in the Greenland and Iceland seas is an important player in the workings of a powerful ocean […]

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