TAV - texte 2 - Arctic Ice.doc

							BAC3 2012-2013 – TAV – texte 2



        Arctic ice shrinks 18% in a year, sounding climate change alarm bells

        Sea ice in the Arctic shrunk a dramatic 18% this year, according to the official
        US organisation the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado. Scientists
        and environment groups last night said the fall was unprecedented and the
        clearest signal yet of climate change.

        Julienne Stroece, an Nsidc ice research scientist who has been monitoring ice
        conditions aboard the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise, said the data suggested
        the Arctic sea ice cover was fundamentally changing and predicted more
        extreme weather. "We can expect more summers like 2012 as the ice cover
        continues to thin. The loss of summer sea ice has led to unusual warming of the
        Arctic atmosphere, that in turn impacts weather patterns in the northern
        hemisphere, that can result in persistent extreme weather such as droughts,
        heatwaves and flooding," she said. Other leading ice scientists this week
        predicted the complete collapse of sea ice in the Arctic within four years.


        Sea ice in the Arctic is seen as a key indicator of global climate change because
        of its sensitivity to warming and its role in amplifying climate change.
        According to Nsidc, the warming of Arctic areas is now increasing at around
        10% a decade. Along with the extent of the sea ice, its thickness, or volume, has
        also significantly decreased in the last two decades.

        Rod Downie, expert at WWF-UK said: "With the speed of change we are now
        witnessing in the Arctic, the UK government must show national and global
        leadership in the urgent transition away from fossil fuels to a low carbon
        economy. This is further evidence that Shell's pursuit of hydrocarbons in the
        Arctic is reckless. It is completely irresponsible to drill for oil in such a fragile
        environment; there are simply too many unmanageable risks."


        Arctic sea ice follows an annual cycle of melting through the warm summer
        months and refreezing in the winter. It has shown a dramatic overall decline
        over the past 30 years. Sea ice is known to play a critical role in regulating
        climate, acting as a giant mirror that reflects much of the sun's energy, helping
        to cool the Earth. The UN Environment programme warned that the extra
        shipping and industry likely to result from the thawing of sea ice could further
        accelerate sea ice melting.