Friday, December 20, 2013

Arctic sea ice melted less in 2013, but climate change isn't slowing, NOAA says

More Arctic sea ice survived the summer months in 2013 than it did in 2012. Arctic temperatures did not soar quite as high, and the ice sheets did not retreat as much.
To the naked eye, it might seem climate change is slowing. But taking climate science in one-year chunks is not effective, because there is always year-to-year variability.
More important, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials, is looking at overall trends.
"The Arctic caught a break, if you will, in 2013, but one year doesn't change the long-term trend toward a warmer Arctic," said Martin Jeffries, a University of Alaska geophysicist who is the science adviser to the U.S. Arctic Research Commission. Jeffries is the editor of NOAA’s 2013 report card on the Arctic.

No comments:

Post a Comment