Antarctica made big news this week as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory released the results of research that suggests that the West Antarctica ice sheet has begun to fall apart due to climate change – and only the most extraordinary circumstances could possibly halt the process. When the water from this section of Antarctica enters the world’s oceans, sea levels are predicted to rise several feet in addition to already predicted increases.
What has gained less attention is the continuing alarming loss of ice cover in the Arctic. The lowest extent of Arctic sea ice ever observed was two years ago, in 2012. Current data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center show that the surface area of Arctic sea ice is now much lower than it was at this date in 2012. Ice breakup in the Bering Sea has been particularly early this year.