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The Cryosphere
A younger, thinner Arctic ice cover: Increased potential for rapid, extensive sea-ice loss
Article first published online: 22 DEC 2007
DOI: 10.1029/2007GL032043
Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.
Additional Information
How to Cite
, , , , , , and (2007), A younger, thinner Arctic ice cover: Increased potential for rapid, extensive sea-ice loss, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L24501, doi:10.1029/2007GL032043.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 22 DEC 2007
- Article first published online: 22 DEC 2007
- Manuscript Accepted: 8 NOV 2007
- Manuscript Revised: 25 OCT 2007
- Manuscript Received: 14 SEP 2007
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- ice, arctic, change
[1] Satellite-derived estimates of sea-ice age and thickness are combined to produce a proxy ice thickness record for 1982 to the present. These data show that in addition to the well-documented loss of perennial ice cover as a whole, the amount of oldest and thickest ice within the remaining multiyear ice pack has declined significantly. The oldest ice types have essentially disappeared, and 58% of the multiyear ice now consists of relatively young 2- and 3-year-old ice compared to 35% in the mid-1980s. Ice coverage in summer 2007 reached a record minimum, with ice extent declining by 42% compared to conditions in the 1980s. The much-reduced extent of the oldest and thickest ice, in combination with other factors such as ice transport that assist the ice-albedo feedback by exposing more open water, help explain this large and abrupt ice loss.