Calendar Event Details Affiliation: University of Colorado Event
Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Location: Bldg 33, H114 Time:
3:30 PM Sea Ice and Consequences of an Ice-Diminished Arctic
Ocean The Arctic is currently undergoing rapid environmental
changes. Over the past few decades, the Arctic has warmed at
about twice the rate as the rest of the planet. As a result,
significant changes are happening in the Arctic sea ice cover,
with potentially large implications not only regionally but also
for the global climate. Arctic sea ice is an important regulator
of the exchange of heat and moisture between the atmosphere and
the ocean. The presence of the sea ice cover insulates the
relatively warm ocean from the colder atmosphere and because of
its high reflectivity, its presence helps to keep the northern
high latitudes cool by reflecting a large portion of the sun’s
energy back to space. Sea ice also exerts a strong influence on
global atmospheric and oceanic circulation. Because of the
Earth's orientation re