The speech by former US Vice-President Al Gore was apocalyptic. ‘The North Polar ice cap is falling off a cliff,’ he said. ‘It could be completely gone in summer in as little as seven years. Seven years from now.’
Those comments came in 2007 as Mr Gore accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for his campaigning on climate change.
But seven years after his warning, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that, far from vanishing, the Arctic ice cap has expanded for the second year in succession – with a surge, depending on how you measure it, of between 43 and 63 per cent since 2012.
To put it another way, an area the size of Alaska, America’s biggest state, was open water two years ago, but is again now covered by ice.
The most widely used measurements of Arctic ice extent are the daily satellite readings issued by the US National Snow and Ice Data Center, which is co-funded by Nasa. These reveal that – while the long-term trend still shows a decline – last Monday, August 25, the area of the Arctic Ocean with at least 15 per cent ice cover was 5.62 million square kilometres.
This was the highest level recorded on that date since 2006 (see graph, right), and represents an increase of 1.71 million square kilometres over the past two years – an impressive 43 per cent.
Other figures from the Danish Meteorological Institute suggest that the growth has been even more dramatic. Using a different measure, the area with at least 30 per cent ice cover, these reveal a 63 per cent rise – from 2.7 million to 4.4 million square kilometres.
The satellite images published here are taken from a further authoritative source, the University of Illinois’s Cryosphere project.
They show that as well as becoming more extensive, the ice has grown more concentrated, with the purple areas – denoting regions where the ice pack is most dense – increasing markedly.
Crucially, the ice is also thicker, and therefore more resilient to future melting. Professor Andrew Shepherd, of Leeds University, an expert in climate satellite monitoring, said yesterday: ‘It is clear from the measurements we have collected that the Arctic sea ice has experienced a significant recovery in thickness over the past year.
‘It seems that an unusually cool summer in 2013 allowed more ice to survive through to last winter. This means that the Arctic sea ice pack is thicker and stronger than usual, and this should be taken into account when making predictions of its future extent.’
More at the Daily Mail
And to think Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize over Irena Sendler
Gore is an idiot and will always be an idiot.
Ever wondered how much he paid the Nobel prize committee to offer him the award???
The
global warmingclimate change alarmists would like us all to believe the polar ice caps have melted away. Yet, they’re still trying to explain why their trips to see open water have resulted in their ships becoming trapped by ice.When will this photo be in the MSM, maybe never?
There has been recent studies that show the warming gases like CO2 that all of the models have been based upon are faulty. The samples from ice cores and other measurements are insufficient to be statistically valid, but those who are raking in the cash studying climate change/APG continue to benefit from all of the grants. When will the lefties get their heads out of the “Black hole”?
The global warming hoaxers will come up with some half-baked, manufactured pseudo-data to “explain” how anthropogenic global warming is causing increased polar ice mass, and that reliance on what you can actually see for yourself only demonstrates you don’t understand “science”…because all us neanderthal conservatives are too stupid to understand the nuance of faulty computer models and doctored data to get all of us properly programmed into the behavioral mode the leftists want.
Yeah, no doubt satellite photos measure thickness as well as surface area. Sure! See that color coded bar? Concentration means thickness, doesn’t it? Highest density must also have something to do with thickness or total volume too, right?
Here’s a chart by a satellite imaging data facility that does a far better job of graphically displaying what’s going on with sea ice extent. It’s not the sort of thing you’re likely to see in the Daily Mail, since it requires a moment of thought to understand. The hard red line is 2014. The dotted lines represent 1980’s, 1990’s, and 2000’s averages for each month of the year.
@Greg: When you can not defend your position with real facts by real scientists, then attack the source. That is the Democratic way!
@Greg: Did you even bother to red what you referenced. Talk about junk science. Read and understand what your source really means. The data was “fudged” to try to make the two satellite measurements consistent, just like all of the temperature data and CO2 date\a being used to justify AGW. Just like Michael Mann “fudged” his tree ring data to make a hockey stick!
I’m attacking the Daily Mail story because they’re claiming the satellite photo of Arctic sea ice means something that it actually doesn’t. It doesn’t tell us anything at all about the trend of total Arctic ice volume, which is the trend that actually matters. That point could be made based on nothing other than the article itself.
If you want to look at a chart that actually conveys meaningful multi-decade information, look at the one that’s linked. There are no claims associated with it, other than that the information displayed is accurate.
@Randy: Then again Greggie believed 0-blama when he said if you like your health insurance and/or doctor you can keep them “period”!! Greggie also believed Slimy Harry when he accused Romney of cheating on his taxes. I have asked Greggie to prove this for over a year but Greggie can’t seem to be able to come with anything to support these lies!! I wouldn’t expect Greggie to really be able to prove anything he says. Then again he’s just another liberal wacho!!
@Greg: I did look at the chart and also looked at the supporting data. The chart has major flaws. Read the explanation that goes with the chart. Don’t just look at the pictures! Try real hard to understand how they “fudged” the data.
@Common Sense: I know you are right, but I keep having hope that Greg may see the light one day. I also keep hoping that our president really cares about our country. Looks like I have a major character flaw.
@Greg: Here is your source Greg:
Could someone please inform this neuron-challenged Administration that OUR universe is COOLING.
That is the nature of all things in our known universe. There’s no such thing as “cold” — only the absence of heat, and our heat sources are gradually cooling — disappearing. Now, where’s my scarf?
Thank you Greg.
But is the north ice cap “completely gone,” as per Al Gore, Junior, or is it not?
Algore will always have the support of his blind followers. Do not try to confuse a proge with facts.
He just wishes more of those blind followers were cute and knew how to perform massages that have happy endings.
@Greg
The images are from U of IL’s cryosphere project. They are not from the Mail.
@Greg: first, you get ice coverage, THEN you get ice thickness. Once the surface of the ocean freezes, it does not instantly freeze dozens of feet thick. But, clearly, the ice is not going the direction the global warming terrorists want to claim.
The problem is that this administration, instead of working on a strategy and the means to stop and destroy ISIS, they are conniving and scheming on means to use global warming false data to work money-grabbing schemes. Instead of address our country’s economic problems, they are making those problems worse by cooking the global warming books in order to redistribute wealth (much of it towards charlatans like Gore. The problem is liberals working harder on creating their socialist dream (shown to fail repeatedly all around the world) than to keep the capitalism miracle alive and stronger.