Reposted from the Poughkeepsie Journal
Jessica Leclair
Oil, natural gas, mineral deposits, fisheries and shipping prospectors are advancing on the Arctic. Fueled by global warming, ocean routes normally blocked by sea ice are opening up. Most notably, the Northwest Passage, an ocean route across North America, became accessible in recent years to boat traffic.
Rising temperatures affect the Arctic at twice the rate we see in New York because of polar amplification, a phenomenon like a snowball effect in which a little warming causes far more warming. Let’s take sea ice. Sea ice is prevalent throughout the Arctic Ocean, in some areas year round. Sea ice is white, and it reflects the sun’s rays. As the temperatures rise, sea ice melts, exposing ocean water. This water absorbs the once-reflected solar energy and speeds up the warming. Continue reading
