March 19, 2008

Data Show Arctic Climate Is on Thin Ice

By Richard Monastersky

Satellite observations of the Arctic Ocean reveal that its wintertime ice cover has thinned substantially, leaving it much more vulnerable to summertime melting and potentially accelerating its eventual disappearance, according to government and university scientists.

"The thickness and the age of ice is really an indicator of the long-term health of the sea ice, and it doesn't look very good at the moment," said Walter N. Meier, a research scientist at the National Snow and