GEOG 205 Lecture : March 25th
Document Summary
Presence of ridge ice & its longer life cycle leads to ice that stays frozen longer during the summer melt some arctic sea ice remains through summer 7 continues to grow through autumn. Almost all sea ice that forms during antarctic winter melts during summer there has been a dramatic decrease in he amount of arctic sea ice sea ice found in polar regions where surface ocean layer freezes. Max. in late winter & min in late summer. Observation shows arctic is warming faster than forecasted. Potential causes: changes in cloud cover, water vapour less sea ice means surface of ocean is able to evaporate more, changes to oceanic/atmospheric circulation ocean currents might bring more warmer waters into the. Arctic preventing the formation of sea ice: decrease in sea ice/snow cover decreases the amount of albedo & therefore increases temperatures (since radiation lost to reflection is now absorbed) Dramatic decreases in arctic but surprising increases in.