It's dark and cold at the North Pole, so why is it MELTING?

The North Pole is warming up, even in winter.

Arctic sea ice has set a new record low for November. At a time when the ice should be growing, it appears to have plateaued for a moment, and is growing much less rapidly than normal.

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- Arctic sea ice has set a new record low for November with less ice present at the polar cap than normal for the season. While the ice is growing, it is growing more slowly and has made less progress than usual. The record low serves as a data point affirming 2016 as one of the hottest years on record.

SEE THE GRAPH FOR YOURSELF

The reduced sea ice is matched by shrinking ice in the Antarctic. Until recently, Antarctic sea ice has been expanding, seemingly in defiance of the global warming narrative, until it was discovered that the ice was thinning while growing around the periphery of the continent.

Antarctic ice is expected to decline in November, which is spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

Sea ice in the Arctic has been particularly low all year. This is possibly the result of El Nino, and hot storms which have made their way into the North Polar region to heat the area. Last week, the North Pole was 36 degrees hotter than normal, despite receiving no sunlight. So far, 2016 is the hottest year for the planet on record, since records were kept.

Scientists are particularly worried that losing ice in the Arctic could contribute to a feedback loop of warming that will cause the region to warm up dangerously. Normally ice reflects solar radiation back into space. However, if the ice melts and leaves the water beneath it exposed, the darker sea will absorb heat energy. This heat will be trapped in the ocean and make it harder for ice to form. The polar cap will continue to warm, even into the winter. This is probably what's happening now.

The impacts of this are many. Wildlife living above the Arctic Circle will find survival more difficult. Already, polar bears have been particularly hard hit, thousands possibly starving. The military considers climate change to be one of the greatest challenges it will face in the decades to come as shifts in climate and changes in the oceans alter the military landscape.

Flowers are blooming earlier in the year than they did a century ago, but weather is becoming more erratic. Spring may come early, but the cold is becoming more intense. The polar vortex, unusually cold polar air that dips down from the arctic, will become more frequent.

Changes in climate can also impact many societies as their traditional crops and patterns of behavior are forced to change with the climate. This is particularly noticeable in agrarian societies where even small changes can be disastrous. Extreme weather and flooding events also have the potential to kill millions. Droughts and famines have always been one of the greatest killers of humanity, particularly in the developing world. Finally, new and old diseases may emerge as the world is shaken up by climate change.

People living in the United States remain some of the most ardent skeptics of climate change. The coal and oil industries have financed a public disinformation campaign intended to sow doubt about climate change in the public's consciousness. Documents subpoenaed from firms like Chevron have revealed these efforts. The documents disclose which people and think tanks are being financed by agenda-driven corporate money.

The campaign has been so successful that some politicians refuse to undertake measures to cut human emissions, which are the primary drivers of climate change. This is in spite of the science which has found that the planet is being rapidly warmed by human activity.

It is expected that in the years and decades to come, the impact of climate change will become more apparent and eventually undeniable. Unfortunately, by that time it will be too late to undertake the changes required to save most of the lives endangered by climate change.

 

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