Arctic ice thickness decreasing, suggests satellite data study
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 A recent study based on satellite
radar altimetry indicates drastic thinning of Arctic ice during
the winter of 2007. It was found that the ice thickness had been
fairly constant for the five previous winters. The researchers
were able to highlight widespread ice thinning in areas covered
by both old and young ice. This thinning constitutes the most
severe since records started being taken in the early 1990s. The
study by scientists of University College London has been
published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. The work
provides the first definitive proof for overall decrease in
Arctic ice volume, claim the authors. The researchers have found
that last winter's ice thickness represented a decrease of an
average of 26 centimeters below the 2002-2008 winter average.
The greatest decline of 49 centimeters was in the western
Arctic, which could explain the region's becoming relatively
ice-free this summer, allowi