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The Arctic's Melting Ice

By Katie L. Burke

Mark Serreze discusses the implications of warming in the Arctic and his thoughts on science communication while the U.N. climate talks in Paris continue.

December 9, 2015

From The Staff Environment Climatology

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Mark Serreze, geographer and director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder, has studied the Arctic since his first trip there in the early 1980s. In this Hangout, Serreze spoke with me about the changes he's seen over the decades, the implications of the loss of Arctic sea ice, and how they might be addressed.

This talk was sponsored by the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville chapter of Sigma Xi. Members of Sigma Xi may post follow-up questions for Dr. Serreze in Sigma Xi's online community, The Lab, in the discussion thread titled "Let's talk about Arctic sea ice."

A Storify of the Tweets detailing the discussion is shown below.

The Arctic's Melting Ice

Mark Serreze discusses the implications of warming in the Arctic and his thoughts on science communication while the U.N. climate talks in Paris continue.

  1. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    What are the implications of losing #Arctic sea ice? Hear from @NSIDC director in 15 minutes #AmSciGHO  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:15:31
  2. Today, 3:30p ET: I interview M Serreze of @NSIDC abt Arctic sea ice. Join us! https://t.co/QNlRwMGP4p #AmSciGHO https://t.co/DD6o6QFsDH
    Today, 3:30p ET: I interview M Serreze of @NSIDC abt Arctic sea ice. Join us!  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 … #AmSciGHO pic.twitter.com/DD6o6QFsDH
    Katie L. Burke@_klburke
    ·
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 16:02:29
  3. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Our #AmSciGHO speaker Dr. Mark Serreze @NSIDC is a @SigmaXiSociety Distinguished Lecturer  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:33:45
  4. _klburke
    Katie L. Burke@_klburke
    Join us in 30min; submit Qs for Dr. Serreze on the Hangout or at #AmSciGHO. Background info:  http://nsidc.org/news/newsroom/PR_2015meltseason …  https://twitter.com/AmSciMag/status/672082988067344384 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:06:35
  5. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Mark Serreze's @SigmaXiSociety Distinguished Lectureship is supported by Society's members and @ametsoc  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:34:41
  6. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Due to loss of Arctic sea ice, Arctic becoming more accessible, open to shipping? What are geopolitical implications? -M Serreze #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:36:30
  7. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    We have good records of sea ice cover from satellite data from 1979 onward, plus other sources go back earlier 1950s-M Serreze #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:39:35
  8. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: We have lost 30-40 percent of the ice cover in the Arctic.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:39:38
  9. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Sea ice covers of north and south hemispheres are different. -M Serreze #AmSciGho  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:41:53
  10. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Arctic is losing sea ice fast. Antarctic is increasing in sea ice in some areas, it's variable.- M Serreze #AmSciGHO  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:42:42
  11. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Predicting decline of Arctic sea ice difficult-gone by 2030; lots of variables.  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:42:43
  12. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Part of the ice loss timeline variability is that it's partly up to us and human emissions/behavior.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:43:54
  13. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    A lot of uncertainty to models for sea ice cover. We don't know what future greenhouse gas emissions will be. - M Serreze @NSIDC #AmSciGho
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:44:20
  14. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Ice free means seasonably ice free, not ice free all the time.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:44:41
  15. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    "In a large part, the future is up to us" for loss of Arctic sea ice because it depends on greenhouse gas emissions. - M. Serreze #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:45:19
  16. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: 2012 was a particularly warm year but less so after that.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:46:23
  17. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    .@NSIDC has reported that Arctic sea ice has been declining at rate of 13.4% per decade relative to the 1981 to 2010 average. #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:47:15
  18. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO: Millions of sq km of ice - 1980s ice was area of US minus Arizona. 2012- throw out all east of MS plus some midwest.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:48:00
  19. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Ice thickness is what we want, but harder to get fr satellite data. Can get age fr ice fr satellites.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:48:46
  20. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Sea level rise is warming ocean and taking ice that was on land and dumping it into the ocean.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:51:59
  21. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Ice in Arctic Ocean used be >10 yrs old. Old ice is thick, doesn't melt as fast. Ice isn't that old now - M. Serreze @NSIDC #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:52:17
  22. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Sea level rise has been pinned down to around 3 mm/yr. Haven't det contributions fr diff ice sheets.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:52:37
  23. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Overall rate of sea level rise is around 3 millimeters per year. There are unknowns of where we're going in future. -M Serreze #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:54:00
  24. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Warming conc nr poles bc heatback-white usu reflects sunlight. As melts, exposes darker reg, absorb en
    ·
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:54:27
  25. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Other feedbacks at play in Arctic: water vapor, which acts as natural greenhouse effect.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:55:51
  26. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Carbon cycle feedback-stored in permafrost, microbes become active and respirate, release carbon to atm
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:57:01
  27. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    A primer on Albedo feedback, which indicates how well a surface reflects solar energy:  https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/seaice/processes/albedo.html … #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:58:17
  28. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: We can stop sea ice melt but q is if we're going to do this #ParisClimateConference
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 20:59:11
  29. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Role of the scientist in #scicomm has changed; mk people understand importance of what they do.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:01:36
  30. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Younger scientists in particular understand #scicomm is part of the job now. But little training.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:02:10
  31. _klburke
    Katie L. Burke@_klburke
    But, he said, "Just do it!" That's how you learn.  https://twitter.com/fenellasaunders/status/672158842206097408 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:38:52
  32. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: #scicomm has been a tough process for me, you have to just do it, can't just read a book.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:02:32
  33. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    We can stop the loss of Arctic sea ice if we wanted to. - M Serreze #AmSciGHO #COP21  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:02:35
  34. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Scientists need to understand it's ok to make mistakes in #scicomm and to learn from them.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:03:01
  35. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    The world needs to act to stop the world's warming. Real challenge is getting a worldwide commitment soon. -M. Serreze #AmSciGHO #COP21
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:03:02
  36. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: When I started working here the Arctic was just a cold place, not a focus of public debate.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:03:37
  37. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: #scicomm routes: mk it accessible, use analogies, avoid advocacy. Shrill args on either side don't help
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:04:54
  38. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Sea ice cover prediction for this Sept will be well below average. Too much warmth in system now.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:05:46
  39. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    We've got a looming problem, need to deal with it but scientists need to be rational, avoid advocacy.- M. Serreze #AmSciGHO #climatechange
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:06:16
  40. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    If current trends continue, we will see ice-free Arctic in this century. We need to slow down greenhouse gas emissions -M. Serreze #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:09:09
  41. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: gaining Antarctic ice does not offset melting in Arctic.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:10:03
  42. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Milankovich effects  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles … effect history of when was last ice free.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:12:25
  43. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    If current trends continue, we will see ice-free Arctic in this century. We need to slow down greenhouse gas emissions -M. Serreze #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:09:09
  44. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: #scicomm routes: mk it accessible, use analogies, avoid advocacy. Shrill args on either side don't help
    ·
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:04:54
  45. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Sea ice cover prediction for this Sept will be well below average. Too much warmth in system now.
    ·
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:05:46
  46. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Milankovich effects  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milankovitch_cycles … effect history of when was last ice free.
    ·
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:12:25
  47. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Satellite helps track age of ice by looking at features in ice. We can get nice maps of overall age of ice cover. - M. Serreze #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:14:08
  48. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Can track features on ice formation w satellite to map movement and age of ice.
    ·
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:15:20
  49. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Northwest passage-goes thru complex channels of Canadian archipelago in far north. Becoming ice free.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:17:47
  50. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Northern sea route on Russian side is becoming seasonally more open as well.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:18:35
  51. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Methane trapped in tundra-permafrost melts, microbes active, release methane or CO2. Lot of unknowns.
    ·
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:20:39
  52. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO Mark Serreze: Concern that methane clathrates in ocean bed could release if ocean warms. We don't have context to know
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:22:11
  53. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Oil drillers want to know when rigs can go up and stay. That puts companies focus when Arctic ice will come and go - M Serreze #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:24:37
  54. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Shell oil drilling in seas in Arctic last year, they were disappointed in their results, not back soon
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:25:02
  55. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    On climate warming: "It's happening and the Arctic is leading the way." - M Serreze #AmSciGHO #cop21  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:25:36
  56. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: Irony of losing sea ice cover bc of man-made warming makes drilling for oil in Arctic more accessible.
    ·
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:26:00
  57. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Conservation and renewable energy is the way forward to deal with #climatechange. - M Serreze #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:27:00
  58. fenellasaunders
    Fenella Saunders@fenellasaunders
    Arctic ice #AmSciGHO w Mark Serreze: No one wants to go bk to stone age, but have to deal w prob before out of hand. Renewable, conservation
    ·
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:27:50
  59. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Mark Serreze sees nuclear energy as an answer to #climatechange. "There are no easy solutions, only intelligent choices" #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:28:07
  60. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    The lowest Arctic sea ice extent was recorded in 2012, according to @NSIDC.  http://nsidc.org/news/newsroom/PR_2015meltseason … #AmSciGHO
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:37:09
  61. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Thanks for following today's #AmSciGHO on the loss of Arctic sea ice. To see the recording:  https://plus.google.com/events/crf9sb4mn78l467sg2dh3nfmnn4 …
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:29:05
  62. AmSciMag
    American Scientist@AmSciMag
    Mark your calendars: our next #AmSciGHO will be Dec 15 with Bryant Nelson, a research chemist @usnistgov. Link and more details to come.
    Wed, Dec 02 2015 21:32:13

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