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Article: The Arctic is melting: Perennial sea ice could be gone by the end of this century.
- Article from:
- National Driller
- Article date:
- February 1, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 BNP Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) study finds that perennial sea ice in the Arctic is melting faster than previously thought -- at a rate of 9 percent per decade. If these melting rates continue for a few more decades, the perennial sea ice will likely disappear entirely within this century, due to rising temperatures and interactions between ice, ocean and the atmosphere that accelerate the melting process.
Perennial sea ice floats in the polar oceans and remains at the end of the summer, when the ice cover is at its minimum and seasonal sea ice has melted. This year-round ice averages about 10 feet in depth, but can be as thick as 20 feet ...