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Sea ice hovers around all-time low Jeanne Gagnon Northern News Services Published Monday, September 19, 2011
Two research institutes have differing numbers for this year and 2007, the previous and perhaps still the record-holder for low Arctic sea ice. This year's Arctic sea ice extent "is a close second" to the 2007 all-time-low record, stated the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Boulder, Colo., in a Sept. 15 press release, which runs contrary to a report from the University of Bremen in Germany. Arctic sea ice coverage was 4.33 million square km on Sept. 9, a minimum 160,000 square km above the 2007 record of 4.17 million square km, according the centre in Colorado which has been collecting satellite Arctic sea ice data since 1979. "While the University of Bremen and other data may show slightly different numbers, all of the data agree that Arctic sea ice is continuing its long-term decline," stated the centre in a Sept. 13 press release. The University of Bremen stated Arctic sea ice had reached 4.24 million square km this year, something its researchers described as a new historic minimum. Sea ice coverage had reached a historic minimum in 2007 with 4.26 million square km, it stated. The university has been collecting sea ice satellite data since 1972 and uses different data than the American centre. "It seems to be clear that this is a further consequence of the man-made global warming with global consequences," stated the university in a Sept. 8 press release. "Directly, the livelihood of small animals, algae, fish and mammals, like polar bears and seals, is more and more reduced." The Hunters and Trappers Organizations in two Nunavut communities don't seem too worried about the low ice coverage. Resolute HTO chairman Philip Manik said the low ice coverage helps hunters in some ways as they can travel a lot farther with less ice. The ice broke up around the end of June, which is on average with previous years, he added. "What is happening is just the ice starts breaking up, it goes back and forth, then it goes away, some more comes in, stays around for a while and goes away. It usually does that," he said. "We saw very little ice, actually, (but) it kept coming back." To the southwest in Taloyoak, HTO vice-chairman Lucassie Nakoolak said ice broke up in the middle of July this summer, earlier than the August average. "We noticed it's the earliest break up this year during the past summers," he said. "The good news is that we've got a longer summer." They have also noticed a lower level of sea ice water near Taloyoak, something Nakoolak said they can't explain, although they've hardly had any rain this spring or summer, he added. "This summer, we noticed the sea water is very much lower than the regular summers in the past."
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