Biology

The   role of  Arctic  Sea  Ice is  to  reflect  sunlight,  which  in  turn  keeps  the  polar regions  cool  and  results  in  the  moderation  of  the global  climate. According  to the  scientific  measurements,  Arctic  sea  ice   has  declined  dramatically   over  the  past  thirty  years.  On  the  basis  of  recent  studies,  during  April  2010   Arctic  sea  ice  extent  declined   at  a   steady  pace,  remaining  just  below  the  1979  to  2000  average. The  ice  extent  for April  2010  was  the  largest  for  that month  in  the  past  decade.

Ice  extent  remained  slightly  above  average  in  the  Bering  Sea  and  Sea  of  Okhotsk, and  slightly  below  average  in  the  Barents  Sea  north  of  Scandinavia,  and  in  Baffin Bay,  where  ice  extent  remained  below  average  all  winter.

The  very  late  maximum  ice  extent,  on March 31,  means  that  the  melt  season started   almost  a  month  later   than  normal. Average ice  extent  for  April  2010  was 820,000  square  kilometers  (317,000 square miles)  greater  than  the  record  low  for April,  observed in 2007,  and  310,000  square  kilometers (120,000 square miles)  below the  average  extent  for  the  month.  The  linear  rate  of  decline  for  April  over  the 1979  to  2010  period  is  now  2.6  per  decade.

Despite  the  late  ice  growth,  Arctic  air  temperatures  remained  persistently  warmer than  average  throughout  the  winter  and  early  spring  season. April  temperatures were  about  3 to 4  degrees  Celsius (5 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit)  above  average  across much  of  the  Arctic  Ocean,  and  up  to 10 degrees  Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) above  normal  in  northern  Canada.  Conditions  in  the  Arctic were  part  of  a  trend  of warmer  temperatures  worldwide in  the past  few  months.

The  thickness  of  sea  ice  at  the  beginning of  spring  plays  a role  in  how  much  ice survives  summer  melt,  so we  pay  attention  to factors  that  influence  ice  thickness, such  as  ice  motion. Ice  motion  is determined  by  winds  and other  factors,  which  in turn  are  influenced  by weather  patterns  such  as  the  Arctic  Oscillation.

Use  of  Fossil  fuels  and  its  harmful  effect  on  climate.
Fossil  fuels  are  widely used  by  people for their automobiles. Fossil  fuels  have many hydrocarbons,  each  with  numerous  bonds  and  when they  undergo  combustion,  they
Release  a   great  deal of  heat.  Thus  they  contribute  a  great  deal  to global warming. Considering  the  fact  that  our  ozone  layer  is already  destroyed   and  trapping  of  extra  heat  due  to  use  of  fossil  fuels  will further  increase  the  problem we must  try  to  decrease  the use  of  fossil  fuels..

These components   are  extremely  harmful  to  human  health  too
We  should  therefore  try  to  find  better and  less  harmful  alternatives to fuel our automobiles. Alternative  forms  of  energy  are  currently under  development. even though  most  of  them are  only  in  their initial  stages. With increased government and public support, we may be able to speed  up the  development of  these  technologies  and help  free  ourselves  from  the usage of  fossil  fuels. Fuel   economy  too  plays  an  important  role  here. We  can  save  as  much  as 1400  in   fuel  costs  each  year  by  choosing  the  most  efficient  vehicle  that  meets  our  needs. Carbon  dioxide  from  burning  gasoline  and  diesel  contribute  to  Global  Warming. We  can  do  our  part  by  reducing  climate  change  by  reducing  our   carbon  footprints.

RESEARCH     From a write up taken from NSIDC ( National snow and ice data center)Artic Sea Ice News and Analysis.