Gwynne Dyer, who provides astute commentary on a wide variety of subjects for publications around the globe, wrote about the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice and the significant impact it has had on global climate in a column that appeared on the Chattanooga Times editorial page Sunday. His explanation of the changes already underway as a result of the melt was instructive and eye-opening — a call to action for a world where many people still ignore the consequences of global warming.
Dyer focused on the facts and figures of the ice melt and the rising temperatures that cause it. He noted the relationship between the melting ice, concomitant warmer Arctic temperatures and climatological changes that are responsible for extreme weather around the world. Those who doubt the connection ignore the increased incidence of longer and extreme heat waves, droughts, floods, cold spells, storms and rains and the toll they take on global food production.
Dyer’s view is, at best, a gloomy, if thought-proving one. Given the facts, it could have been worse. Dyer noted that Arctic sea ice cover is smaller now than at any time since satellite mapping began over three decades ago, but his necessarily short overview did not note other pertinent information. The entire Arctic region, for example, is now warming more quickly than almost any other locale on Earth. He certainly agrees, though, that the overall trends have ominous consequences for global climate.
The rapid melt feeds a vicious cycle that perpetuates and accelerates the decline in ice cover. As ice melts more quickly, it allows more heat absorption by open water. That in turn leads to more warming. The melting ice is not the only indication of a warmer Arctic.
Scientists report that recent annual average increases in temperatures there have been twice as high as those reported in the rest of the world. Indeed, studies of ice cores, tree rings and lake sediments indicates ice temperatures have been higher in the last 30 years than at any time in the last two millennia. There’s no escaping the fact — it’s no longer a theory — that warmer Arctic temperatures already are prompting changes in sea levels, available supplies of fresh water, crop production and the health and safety of millions of individuals.