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LUCI ORMROD6 COLUMN

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Dramatic melting of sea ice due to global warming is having a major impact on the polar region

John Vidal

THE FREEZER DEFROSTS

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4Arctic sea ice is set to reach its lowest ever recorded extent as early as this weekend, in “dramatic changes” signalling that man-made global warming is having a major impact on the polar region.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.

"EVERY ONE OF THE 56,000 INUITS IN GREENLAND HAVE HAD TO ADAPT TO THE RETREAT OF THE ICE"

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"EVERY ONE OF THE 56,000 INUITS IN GREENLAND HAVE HAD TO ADAPT TO THE RETREAT OF THE ICE"

ICE VOLUME IN THE ARCTIC HAS DECLINED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE PAST DECADE. THE 2011 MINIMUM WAS MORE THAN 50% BELOW THAT