Steve Connor: It seems unthinkable, but for the first time in human history, ice is on course to disappear entirely from the North Pole this year. The disappearance of the Arctic sea ice, making it possible to reach the Pole sailing in a boat through open water, would be one of the most dramatic – and worrying – examples of the impact of global warming on the planet. Scientists say the ice at 90 degrees north may well have melted away by the summer. "From the viewpoint of science, the North Pole is just another point on the globe, but symbolically it is hugely important. There is supposed to be ice at the North Pole, not open water," said Mark Serreze of the US National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado. If it happens, it raises the prospect of the Arctic nations being able to exploit the valuable oil and mineral deposits below these a bed which have until now been impossible to extract because of the thick sea ice above. Seasoned polar scientists believe the chances of a totally icefreeNorth Pole this summer are greater than 50:50 because the normally thick ice formed over many years at the Pole has been blown away and replaced by hugeswathes of thinner ice formed over a single year. This one-year ice is highly vulnerable to melting during thesummer months and satellite data coming in over recent weeksshows that the rate of melting is faster than last year, when therewas an all-time record loss of summer sea ice at the Arctic.

"The issue is that, for the first time that I am aware of, the NorthPole is covered with extensive first-year ice – ice that formed last autumn and winter. I'd say it's even-odds whether the North Pole melts out," said Dr Serreze.

View: Full Article | Source: Independent

when that happen . human greatest secret will be reveal .

Yeah, and the greatest secret will be a book on grammar.

What are you refering to?

either he's refer to megatron or that we will realize that we will be our own demise

Not everyones first language is english you know...

I thought we've been told that when global warming causes all the ice to melt that it will cause all the current shorelines to disappear because the oceans will get deeper by many feet....

The ice caps are melting but it's because of polar shifting

yah when the north pole ice will melt completely al gore with be the first one to sail there on boat to find his Nobel Frozen Prize...

Being on an American site, and talking to Americans, they should learn the language completely, that includes grammar.

This article is intriguing,

but what will happen to santa

It's unclear yet what impact this may have on the planet. Does this mean the climate is changing more rapidly than earlier predictions? Or is the Earth going through normal ebb and flow in its polar regions?

I'm not a tree-hugger, per se. But I do use the low-energy light bulbs, keep the AC at a respectable temperature, walk or bike when I can and recycle, recycle, recycle. The U.S. Department of Energy has a list of tips for people interested in saving energy.

One person alone can't make a difference. But one person times a few million - better yet, a few billion - can have an impact.

Whatever happened to the good old days when the worst thing we worried about were starving kids in Third World countries if we didn't eat our peas and carrots?

http://40-year-oldblog.blogspot.com/

You should realize that this is not an American site, and there are people here from all over the world. Lighten up....(it is also ironic that you left your sentence incomplete; just hanging with a comma).

Unless I see a satellite image of a near ice-less arctic, I won't believe it even if they say it. Some scientists are trying their tracks by saying we won't have any more warming for up to 10 years due to "natural variations" and others are just plowing through with more and more alarming data.

Also there's nothing wrong with bad grammar as long as the meaning of the sentence gets through. From what I hear, english is a hard language to learn.

How ironic indeed, technically it was a typo.

Explain how that generates enough heat to melt the ice caps.

I read some place if the polar ice caps were to completely melt, it would raise sea levels around the globe about 3 meters(?) That means (for me anyway) my farm will be beach front property.....I'll be rich!

Well Hydrologists have been wondering for quite a time where the water of the melting glaciers went...and results that most of that water is being caught behind dams, of which we have an inflation over the last 20 years. So, no...the rise will be about 1 meter (3 feet) at this point in time...if the pole melts. If they keep on building fresh water reservoirs at the same speed they are doing now it will even be less than that. Sorry for your speculation object.

ED:Typo

Personally i think it's all another fear scam linked to the global warming debate (jmo). Chances of it happening are about as much as hell freezing over, but if it did I think it's safe to say we won't need cars anymore but canoes & boats to get around.



According to this; 'If' all of the Antarctic ice melted, sea levels around the world would rise about 61 meters (200 feet).

======

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey estimate that If all of the ice sitting on land in Greenland and Antarctica melted it would cause global sea levels to rise by about 215 feet, or about 65 meters. usa today

Well the rivers in the Mid West are over their banks. So may be the extra water will turn Wisconsin to a Rain Forest. My house is beside the Mighty Pecatonica River, average depth 6 FT.
It made it to almost 17 FT two weeks ago. I have two small boats by the garage (just in case).

Contrary to popular belief, Fat people don't FLOAT!

Oh, good grief, sorry to hear about that...what a mess is going on back there....now is the time to start figuring out how big a cubit is and where to start getting a lot of gopherwood ...okay...2 of each animal... I think we upgrade though. lots of dancefloors and drinking...skip the animals that bite...

OK , but the Animals I want on my ARK I want more than two. And all Female of course.

I may not make it to Heaven, but my wife will show me pure H---!

Shjt happens, things change.

Learn to deal with it.

I live in Holland... we Dutch will move to Germany or emigrate to Canada or build bigger dykes.

pretty much accurate, though there seems to be no sign of Antarctica melting. But Greenland sure could cause a problem (or two).

There is a real problem with the following statement:

It cannot be shown to be factual, since the vast, vast majority of human history encompasses a time period wherein no human had ever even seen the North Pole.

I hate this alarmist, biased, bullsheet about global warming. Takes away from the argument itself.

It's like the stupid and flagrantly incorrect anti-drug propaganda films they forced us to watch when I was a kid.

Harte

Think of the psychological impact on the mankind! Devastating...

Well you can't say global warming it's not that. The antarctic is growing by leaps and bounds. The so called green house effect does not stand up in an open atmosphere. It just doesn't work that way.
LINKY I
LINK II
LINK III

I'm more concerned about the gravitical wave headed our way from our black hole at the center of our galaxy.

Sat comparison of N. pole 2006-2008 LINKY

Antarctica is GROWING!!!
By the way Chey Guevara was a murding, raping peice of well what comes out of donky's butts.

lol! Hmmm, that must explain why he's listed in Time's Top 100 as one of the most important & influential people (Heroes & Icons) of the last century, based on people's choice. Time

educate yourself dude, if you can find your way through all the bullsh*t propaganda.


BTW; What's he got to do with the melting of the North Pole?

I would like to know who will claim that the north pole region belongs to what country. I wonder if there will be a war because of it. Is it Canadian, Russian or the US. Maybe other countries will claim it as theirs as well.

You made me smile today.