Antarctic Sea Ice Close To Record High In March
April 3, 2015
By Paul Homewood
http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/index.html
Antarctic sea ice extent continues to run at well above average, with March extent 2nd highest on record, behind 2008.
http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/index.html
Sea ice ice grew rapidly during the month, as temperatures dived, adding 2.7 million sq km. At the end of March, extent was 1.2 million sq km above average, or 22% higher. As a result, global sea ice area, according to Cryosphere Today, finished the month slightly above the long term mean.
http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/global.daily.ice.area.withtrend.jpg
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Paul , what do you make of New Scientist’s article 4th April by Michael Slezak, ‘Antarctic ice is fading ever faster’?
I’ve not seen it. Have you got a link?
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27247-major-antarctic-ice-survey-reveals-dramatic-melting.html#.VR6UvSjTw_s
Here’s the link, Paul.
It is standard issue propaganda about how the ice is melting due to being super warm at -100ºF.
Chip Knappenberger puts recent Antactic scares into perspective.
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2014/12/08/antarctic-glacier-retreat-in-perspective/
I would add three points:
1) The Totten Glacier melt has nothing to do with global warming.
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2015/03/22/the-truth-behind-the-totten-glacier/
2) The finger of blame is always put on “warmer water”. Yet we know that, physically, GHG can have no measurable effect on ocean temperatures over decadal timescales, because of the massive heat content of oceans.
If warmer water is entering these regions, it must be due to other factors, such ocean currents.
3) As far as sea surface temperatures are concerned, Southern Ocean temps in the last decade have been the coldest since at least 1980.
My overall reaction is that there is no real evidence that anything is happening now that has not been going on for at least a century. And, given the large error bars, we actually have not got a clue whether ice mass is increasing or falling in East Antarctica, which is the vast bulk of the continent.
My point was the article is published in a main stream popular scientific publication, which seems to becoming less scientific and more political by the week.
They also had the 300km/hr winds story.
Mother Nature taunts man,
She tricks and she teases;
Man tries to control her,
But she does what she pleases!
http://wp.me/p3KQlH-CL
Meanwhile, at the other pole, taking the long view:
“The recent reduction of the ice extent in the Eastern area is still within the variation range observed over the past 300 yrs.”
https://rclutz.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/arctic-sea-ice-factors/
Hi Clutz, I informed you recently that that correlation (as shown by the interrupted line) is not relevant on any statistical level
The whole story is here, really (Greenland ice core)
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/12/09/hockey-stick-observed-in-noaa-ice-core-data/
Apples and oranges, Henry.
Vinje is documenting ice extent in the Nordic Seas, not Greenland, and not air temperatures.
Thanks, Paul. There’s a lot of ice in those poles, and it refuses to go away. Prey it doesn’t start to grow.
@Ron Clutz
I hope you agree with me that the current warming period (CWP) from 1840 to present looks a lot like the MWP from 800-1000
ans that it is a natural warming period.;
Henry, I agree.
The extent of human contribution to observed warming is uncertain. Even so, the modern warming period was preceded by the Medieval, the Roman, and the Minoan warming periods–each was cooler than the previous, and all of them warmer than the present.
The last 1.5C of warming has been a boon to human agriculture and civilization, and the next 1.5C would also be beneficial, if it ever happens. The plateau is as likely to end with cooling as warming, and I know you are convinced the cooling is already underway.
That’s pretty much as I read the temperature history, too.
I have often referred to now as the “Current Slightly Warm Period.”
This here is the longer view from the Greenland icecore testing
and here are the results of the Vostok core analysis (Antarctica)
In other words, we’re pretty lucky to be here during this rare, warm period in climate history. But the broader lesson is, climate doesn’t stand still. It doesn’t even stay on the relatively constrained range of the last 10,000 years for more than about 10,000 years at a time.
Anyway, take some time to watch this video:
http://www.godvine.com/Easter-Story-Set-To-Hallelujah-Is-POWERFUL–7028.html?utm_source=GodVine%20Daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=04/03/2015
I wish you all a very blessed Easter!!
And to think Antarctica is now heading towards its winter!!!! The sea-ice extent presumably can only continue to increase as we head towards June.
But what has the media been more interested in? The left wing media convulsed with enviro-gasms over an article by UPI’s claiming Antarctica had its hottest day on 24 March 2015:
http://www.examiner.com/article/did-antarctica-really-have-its-warmest-day-on-record
Do you have similar data on the thickness of the Western Antarctic ice sheet and whether it is changing? What about the Eastern portions of the Antarctic ice sheet?
According to NASA Glaciologist Dr Eric Rignot, the sea ice extent is a result of air current changes around Antarctica more than air temperatures, but does not significantly affect sea level rise, since it is either floating ice or water. At the same time he reports that using ice penetrating radar, the glaciers that are on the land all along the Amundsen Sea are being undercut by the warming waters and that the grounding line (where the glacier is sitting on land) is retreating, leaving more ice unsupported over water where it can crack off and float away. In addition, these studies by the NASA Ice station at Punta Arenas, Chile using combined ice penetrating radar and sonar measurements indicate that the thickness of the ice in these glaciers is reducing by meters each year and that the melt rate in the past decade has tripled.
Also noted is that sea ice may be a few meters thick, but the glaciers are Kilometers thick and have the potential to cause significant sea level rise if they melt or break off from the land-supported portion of the glaciers and float away.
Rignot does say that it is a result of wine and water current changes pushing warm water against the bottom of the glaciers, but, or course, links it CO2. If it is changes in water currents, what could be causing those changes?
At the NSF’a Palmer Station, they report a 3° C rise in air temperature since the 1950’s and significant water temperature rise.
Any comments?
There are no sea ice thickness measurements for Antarctica like PIOMAS, as far as I am aware.