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DEFROSTS

THEFREEZER

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“The permafrost is melting and this is jeopardising roads and buildings. The coastline is changing, there is more erosion and storms, and there are fewer mammals like polar bears”

With the melt happening at an unprecedented rate of more than 100,000 sq km a day, and at least a week of further melt expected before ice begins to reform ahead of the northern winter, satellites are expected to confirm the record – currently set in 2007 – within days.

"Unless something really unusual happens we will see the record broken in the next few days. It might happen this weekend, almost certainly next week," Julienne Stroeve, a scientist at the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado, told the Guardian.

"In the last few days it has been losing 100,000 sq km a day, a record in itself for August. A storm has spread the ice pack out, opening up water, bringing up warmer water. Things are definitely changing quickly."

Because ice thickness, volume, extent and area are all measured differently, it may be a week before there is unanimous agreement among the world's cryologists (ice experts) that 2012 is a record year. Four out of the nine daily sea ice extent and area graphs kept by scientists in the US, Europe and Asia suggest that records have already been broken. "The whole energy balance of the Arctic is changing. There's more heat up there. There's been a change of climate and we are losing more seasonal ice. The rate of ice loss is faster than the models can capture [but] we can expect the Arctic to be ice-free in summer by 2050," said Stroeve.

"Only 15 years ago I didn't expect to see such dramatic changes – no one did.week in the Arctic were 14C, which is pretty warm."

Scientists at the Danish Meteorological Institute, the Arctic Regional Ocean Observing System in Norway and others in Japan have said the ice is very close to its minimum recorded in 2007.

The University of Bremen, whose data does not take into account ice along a 30km coastal zone, says it sees ice extent below the all-time record low of 4.33m sq km recorded in September 2007.

The consequences of losing the Arctic’s ice coverage for the summer months are expected to be immense. If the white sea ice no longer reflects sunlight back into space, the region can be expected to heat up even more than at present. This could lead to an increase in ocean temperatures with unknown effects on weather systems in northern latitudes.

In a statement, a Greenpeace spokesman said: “The disappearing Arctic still serves as a stark warning to us all. Data shows us that the frozen north is teetering on the brink. The level of ice ‘has remained far below average’ and appears to be getting thinner, leaving it more vulnerable to future melting. The consequences of further rapid ice loss at the top of the world are of profound importance to the whole planet.

This is not a warning we can afford to ignore.” The plan was to send our Danish ice pilot and a photographer up in a helicopter to examine the ice scape, but it was far too foggy and the Norwegian chopper pilot wasn’t going up for anyone.

There has been much to see, though. Like two polar bears hunting just 150 yards from the boat. We sounded a respectful warning horn as we passed them on our port side but they barely registered us.

“The sun shines for several summer months all the time, even at midnight ”

“Global warming is having a major impact on the polar region”

Julienne Stroeve, from the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado, is here to track and “characterise” the ice we pass though. She mostly works from satellite data, but they can’t tell the quality or age of the ice or the way it is moving.

Titanic was supposed to be an un-sinkable ship and as Cameron’s movie demonstrated, many aboard perished because they waited too long to try and rescue themselves, thinking Ti-tanic would stay afloat.

The sun shines for several summer months all the time, even at midnight. Imagine trying to get any sleep if it was always bright and sunny. Scientists who study the Arctic and travel there during the summer months are careful to balance their exposure to the constant light so it interferes as littleas possible with their bodily functions and balance.

The Arctic is also known for its tundra. Tundra is essentially frozen ground. It’s hard to believe but there is actually one tree capable of growing in Arctic tundra and it is called the dwarf wil-low. It is generally a small, short tree that usually grows to about four or five inches tall. The nutrients in the tundra sustain this tree just enough for it to survive and grow to that small height.

ARCTIC FACTS

“Temperatures last week in the Arctic were 14c , which is pretty warm”

TheARCTIC

The Arctic is also known for its tundra. Tundra is essentially frozen ground. It’s hard to believe but there is actually one tree capable of growing in Arctic tundra and it is called the dwarf wil-low. It is generally a small, short tree that usually grows to about four or five inches tall. The nutrients in the tundra sustain this tree just enough for it to survive and grow to that small height.

The difference between the rate of warming at the two poles is attributed to geographical differences. “Antarctica is a continent surrounded by water, while the Arctic is an ocean surrounded by land. Wind and ocean currents around Antarctica isolate the continent from global weather patterns, keeping it cold. In contrast, the Arctic Ocean is intimately linked with the climate systems around it, making it more sensitive to changes in climate,” said a spokesman for the NSIDC.

After setting out from northern Norway last week to witness this year’s record sea melt in the Arctic, we reached the edge of the Arctic polar ice cap this morning. It’s far further north than expected, at around 82 degrees N, but the annual sea ice retreat here has been nowhere near as great as on the Alaskan side of the ice cap, where it has

Nick Toberg from the University of cambridge is working with ettiore Pedretti, an engineer from the Scottish Marine institute in oban, to see how waves get under the pack ice and break it up. The impact of the waves on the rapid acceleration of ice loss in the Arctic is a little understood area and they have brought a buoy full of instruments which they will test. Next year they want to return with 25 more buoys to monitor wave action over many kilometres.

The data could be extremely vital to understanding how waves expose more water to solar radiation and allow the ice to then melt from below the surface.

Julienne Stroeve, from the National Snow and ice Data centre in colorado, is here to track and “characterise” the ice we pass though. She mostly works from satellite data, but they can’t tell the quality or age of the ice or the way it is moving.